However you feel about a given cellar-dweller “tanking,” it’s easier to observe the smoldering ruins of a wasted season if Connor McDavid lives up to the hype.
He hasn’t played a single NHL game, yet McDavid distinguished himself in what is virtually assured to be his final season at the junior level. As Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston points out, the 18-year-old finished his OHL campaign with ridiculous numbers: 120 points in just 47 games.
The phrase “generational talent” is already being thrown around, so here’s some perspective regarding where he stands among other super-hyped players like Sidney Crosby and Eric Lindros (no pressure, kid).
McDavid ends his final OHL season with a 2.55 PPG. Crosby had 2.7 PPG in his final season of junior. Lindros was 2.61 in best year
— Corey Johnson (@cjohnson202) March 22, 2015
At the moment, the Buffalo Sabres are three points “ahead” of the Arizona Coyotes in the race to last place (and the best odds of landing McDavid). The Edmonton Oilers are also close to the bottom three with 53 points to Buffalo’s 47 and Arizona’s 50, with every other NHL team not really reasonably in the mix for 30th. (Sports Club Stats gives Buffalo about an 80 percent chance to stay in last place).
Let’s pivot a bit from the nuts and bolts. Which of those bottom-feeding teams need McDavid the most, and where are you rooting for him to land?
Most of all, do you think he’ll be as good as advertised?