For nearly a decade, Connor McDavid has been the engine that drives the Edmonton Oilers - and the weight he’s carried isn’t just about goals and assists. It’s about expectations, legacy, and the relentless pursuit of a Stanley Cup.
Every season begins with the same question: *Is this the year? * And every postseason exit feels like a missed opportunity, not just for the team, but for a generational talent whose career has been defined by brilliance - and, so far, heartbreak.
What makes McDavid’s journey so fascinating is that even as he hits an age where most players begin to plateau, he continues to evolve. At 29, he’s not slowing down - he’s somehow raising the bar.
His speed still slices through defenses like a hot knife, his vision remains otherworldly, and his hunger to win burns as hot as ever. He’s making the extraordinary look routine, which is perhaps the highest compliment you can give a player of his caliber.
This season? Same story, different chapter.
McDavid is once again putting up video game numbers - 34 goals and 61 assists for 95 points in just 57 games. That kind of production isn’t just elite, it’s league-shaping.
And it’s a massive reason why the Oilers are currently tied with the Vegas Golden Knights atop the Pacific Division. But for all the eye-popping stats and nightly highlight reels, there’s one glaring omission on McDavid’s résumé: a Stanley Cup.
And he knows it.
In a candid first-person piece titled “Dear Canada” for The Players’ Tribune, McDavid opened up about the emotional toll of coming so close - and falling just short. Twice.
The Oilers’ back-to-back Stanley Cup Final losses in 2024 and 2025, both at the hands of the Florida Panthers, still sting. Especially the 2024 Game 7 defeat, which bled into what should have been one of the happiest moments of his life.
“I remember after Game 7 in ’24, I had my wedding coming up,” McDavid wrote. “My buddies had planned my bachelor party a few days after the last possible game of the season.
We happened to be in it. And we happened to lose it.”
So instead of celebrating, McDavid found himself on a plane to the Bahamas, emotionally drained and haunted by what could’ve been.
“I was not fun to be around,” he admitted. “Looking back, I almost have to laugh now. Because, man, it was just a weird trip.”
He painted the picture of a man physically present but mentally stuck in the past, sitting with a beer in hand, staring off into the distance like a scene out of a movie, replaying the final moments of the season that slipped away.
“This isn’t how it was supposed to go,” he recalled thinking.
McDavid married longtime partner Lauren Kyle on July 27, 2024, just weeks after that crushing loss. The timing was bittersweet - a celebration of love shadowed by the ache of unfinished business on the ice.
But it’s not just the Cup that’s on his mind. McDavid also has his sights set on Olympic gold, another box he’s eager to check.
With the 2026 Winter Olympics approaching and Team Canada entering as one of the favorites, the opportunity is real. And for a player who’s already accomplished so much, that hunger to win - to finally win - is as palpable as ever.
“If I can be real here for a second, I just want to win something again,” McDavid wrote.
That’s the heart of it. Not just for McDavid, but for every Oilers fan who’s watched him skate circles around the league, only to see the season end in disappointment.
The numbers are there. The talent is undeniable.
The drive is unmatched. Now, it’s about finishing the story.
With the Oilers surging and Canada preparing for Olympic action, 2026 could be the year it all comes together. For McDavid, it’s not about personal accolades anymore - it’s about legacy, redemption, and finally lifting the trophy that’s eluded him for far too long.