It seems unfathomable that Connor McDavid could get any better, but here we are.
The Edmonton Oilers captain has been red-hot to start the season and is off to the best start of his NHL career. After a five-point effort against the Utah Mammoth on Saturday night, helping the Oilers win by a score of 6-2, McDavid is now up to a remarkable 23 points through the first eight games of the season.
That is the most points through the first eight games of a season from any player since 2000, and more significantly, has put him on a collision course to potentially break one of Wayne Gretzky’s most impressive records.
McDavid is scoring at a 2.88 points-per-game pace right now, which would extrapolate to an astounding 241 points over the course of an 84-game season. That would shatter Gretzky’s single-season record of 215 points, which he accomplished with the Oilers during the 1985-86 campaign.
It would also make the Oilers captain just the second player in NHL history to break the 200-point plateau. Gretzky did it on four different occasions.
CONNOR MCDAVID HAS ANOTHER 🚨
It's a five-point night for the Oilers captain 🫡 pic.twitter.com/Ypw2fBYi4G
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) October 18, 2026
Notching 200 points was an impressive feat in the high-scoring 1980s, and it was assumed to be practically impossible in the modern day. Even Mario Lemieux struggled to hit the milestone, maxing out at 199 points during the 1988-89 season.
McDavid is no stranger to pushing the boundaries of what is possible in the NHL nowadays. Back during the 2022-23 season, he found a way to put up 153 points, becoming the first player in 27 years to break the 150-point mark. Then, before that, in 2020-21, he notched an amazing 105 points in the COVID-shortened 56-game season.
A lot of things would need to continue to go right if McDavid wants a shot at the single-season points record. He would not have a lot of room to cool off over the remaining 76 games on the schedule, and he’d need to remain healthy for the entire season.
It’s a long shot, don’t be mistaken, but to doubt McDavid’s abilities would be foolish at this point.