For the first time since 2014, NHL players are back on Olympic ice, and the stage couldn’t be bigger - the 2026 Winter Games in Milano Cortina. For a whole generation of NHL stars, this marks their Olympic debut.
And leading the charge? None other than Connor McDavid, the Edmonton Oilers captain who’s been rewriting the NHL record books since he entered the league in 2015.
Heading into the Olympic break, McDavid was once again pacing the league in points - 96 in just 58 games, split between 34 goals and 62 assists. That’s not just impressive, that’s vintage McDavid.
We’re talking about a player who’s made dominance look routine: five Art Ross Trophies, four Ted Lindsay Awards, three Hart Memorial Trophies, a Rocket Richard, and a Conn Smythe. His trophy case is already Hall of Fame-worthy, and he’s still in his prime.
Yet somehow, despite all of that, McDavid landed third on ESPN’s list of the top 50 NHL players heading into the Olympics. Third. Behind Colorado Avalanche stars Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar.
Now, let’s be clear - MacKinnon and Makar are phenomenal players. MacKinnon’s blend of speed and power is unmatched, and Makar might be the most dynamic defenseman in the game today.
But McDavid not being in the top two? That raised more than a few eyebrows.
The rankings were based entirely on a three-year average of Goals Above Replacement (GAR), a catch-all advanced stat that tries to quantify a player’s total value compared to a replacement-level player. Think of it like WAR in baseball - it’s a useful tool, but it’s not gospel.
And here’s where it gets interesting: even using that GAR model, McDavid still ranks first over the last three seasons combined. He’s also leading all forwards in GAR this season.
So why is he sitting at third on the list? According to the rankings, it comes down to the 15 games he missed last season.
That’s it. The model penalized him for missed time - even though when he was on the ice, he was still the best player in the league.
That’s the danger of leaning too heavily on any one stat, even a comprehensive one like GAR. It can’t fully capture what McDavid brings to the game.
The way he tilts the ice every shift. The way defenses collapse the moment he touches the puck.
The way he makes plays no one else in the league even thinks about attempting. He’s not just productive - he’s transformative.
Sure, there are seasons where someone else might win MVP or lead in goals. That’s the nature of a league filled with elite talent.
Matthews, Kucherov, Draisaitl, MacKinnon, Makar - they’ve all had spectacular seasons. But McDavid is the constant.
The standard. The player every team game-plans for and every fan stops what they’re doing to watch.
And now, for the first time, he’s wearing the Team Canada jersey on the Olympic stage. For a player who’s already accomplished so much, this is the one thing missing - a gold medal.
And make no mistake, that’s the goal. Not rankings, not individual stats.
Gold.
McDavid’s not out to prove anything to a spreadsheet. He’s out to win for his country. And if he plays the way he’s capable of, Canada’s chances just got a whole lot better.