Is Connor McDavid the Best NHL Player Without a Title?

Connor McDavid may have already entrenched himself in the annals of NHL history with all the success he has enjoyed at an individual level, winning multiple awards and setting massive records in the game, which has made him one of the biggest players in the game. At this point, it is hard to argue that a championship is all that he needs to get a bigger jump start in his legacy as a star in the NHL.

But can he actually lead the Edmonton Oilers to a championship and even deliver a promising win in the Stanley Cup Final?

A Legendary Icon in the NHL

At this point, it is easy to say that Connor McDavid is going to be the best player not to win a championship should he retire with no rings at all. The Edmonton Oilers came so close to winning it all last season, but they fell short in Game 7 – where they could have been the second team to come back from an 0-3 deficit in the Stanley Cup Final and McDavid would have cemented his legacy in the game with a championship finish and the Conn Smythe Trophy for his exceptional performances.

Connor McDavid has been really a promising star for Edmonton image

If you are not impressed, McDavid has plenty of impressive feats to his name in his NHL career. The Oilers star has already logged a total of seven NHL All-Star Game appearances, with six of those having him as a captain for the Western Conference. He has also claimed the Art Ross Trophy five times, the Ted Lindsay Award four times, and the Hart Memorial Trophy three times.

All of these feats have seen him make some noise on the big stage as a promising player. McDavid is no joke, and he is definitely one of the players you’d actually expect to see to have a lasting legacy in the game. But without a championship in six Stanley Cup Playoff runs with the Edmonton Oilers, all of those would actually end up being nothing in the long run.

Frustrations of a Championship

A championship defines a player’s success in the game – in any other league at this point in time. With McDavid having none, it is truly frustrating for a player who is seen as one of the league’s best struggle with even securing at least a single title in his career. Many iconic players in the NHL have all estbalished their legacy in the game by winning championships, and it definitely goes the same for McDavid if he is to entrench his name in the annals of the NHL when he moves on from the game.

So what championship talks does frustrate McDavid heading into the 2024-25 NHL season?

McDavid is Closing on his Final Years

At the age of 27, McDavid has not won a single title. And that’s all right, until you consider looking at the continuous rising competition from the rest of the league. Not all NHL players stay for a decade more after reaching this point. At best, McDavid may just well be playing up until the age of 35 – which can be a time when his prime in the game may start wearing off as well. This is why it is easy to expect that the Oilers will be doing everything in their power to help McDavid and the rest of the squad to come up with an impressive rally to the top of the league, which should help him cement his legacy for good and also deliver a promising note that McDavid is indeed here to stay and win championships. After all, the taste of the Stanley Cup Final has definitely made him hungrier now more than ever.

McDavid is getting older and tired in the game image

The Pressure of Playing for Another Team

Speaking of having a lot of promising years with the Oilers but no titles to show for it, it is quite inevitable that McDavid might well be pressured to sign with another team to help him reach his goal of winning the Stanley Cup in his career. There are a lot of super teams being formed in the NHL right now, such as the Nashville Predators and even the New Jersey Devils, and it is easy to expect that if McDavid doesn’t win it all in the next year or two, he may well be considering some of these offers moving forward. After all, not all players win titles with the team that drafted them most of the time, and McDavid might see that as a silver lining in his game to finally consider moving on from the Oilers and deliver his talents elsewhere in the NHL moving forward.

A Career Unworthy of the Hall of Fame

A championship may elude McDavid from the Hall of Fame image

Being inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame is quite an honor that comes off as a bonus for players who have made winning strides in their careers. For McDavid, however, it would be hard to make a case for a player who has been to the Stanley Cup Final only once in his career – despite winning the Art Ross Trophy five times and the Hart Memorial Trophy three times in his career. It would be a shame to see McDavid get snubbed for an early induction into the Hall of Fame or at least take more than a decade to have him placed among the legends of the game. This is why a championship is considered to be the biggest goal for a player to at least assert their presence in the game and help him come up with a stronger case for Hall of Fame considerations in the years to come.

Can McDavid End his Championship Drought?

McDavid will go down as one of the best players to ever play for the Edmonton Oilers, no doubt, and he will be remembered as one of the best scorers in the game over the years. But without a championship, it is hard to make a case for him as one of the greatest players of all time. This is why winning a championship is a priority for McDavid at this point. He has already played at the Stanley Cup Final and definitely knows what needs to be done for him to reach his goal, which is why the expectations for him heading into the 2024-25 season are off the charts.

But to be fair, the pressure is more on the rest of the Edmonton Oilers to help McDavid reach his goals. There will be a lot of talks as to how the team failed the duo of McDavid and Leon Draisaitl to reach their full potential in the game should they end up winless in the Stanley Cup Final. Now more than ever, this is a chance for Edmonton to prove their commitment to McDavid and his legacy in the game.

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