Times have been tough for Montreal Canadiens and Edmonton Oilers fans lately, even if they’ve been frustrating in different ways.
Saturday’s 5-1 Habs win highlights a few things, but the most tantalizing thought for those fans is that it’s likely that we’ll see more great things from P.K. Subban and Connor McDavid ... sometimes against each other.
Perhaps this will be a confidence booster for Montreal. More than anything else, it directed attention to Subban, who’s quietly been absolutely fantastic for the floundering Canadiens.
Consider how much of an offensive burden he’s currently carrying:
Subban updated: 17 points in 16 games, Habs have 36 goals over that span. Subban's been in on 47.2% of them.
— Arpon Basu (@ArponBasu) February 6, 2016
Kinda funny that two guys Therrien has consistently trashed and treated poorly have been his best players lately. Subban and Eller.
— Andrew Berkshire (@AndrewBerkshire) February 6, 2016
From one current All-Star to someone who could be a perennial one: McDavid certainly seemed to grab Subban’s attention.
Then again, when you make moves like these, who won’t notice?
That was something else. #EDMvsMTL pic.twitter.com/BmPLUgNdNo
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) February 6, 2016
The Oilers did lose, mind you, so it’s not surprising that Todd McLellan mentioned that the team can’t depend upon McDavid for everything.
Todd McLellan: "If we think Connor’s going to carry us for the next 10 years just on his own we’re dreaming."
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) February 6, 2016
That said, the funny thing about that quote is that McDavid might just carry the Oilers for two decades, at least if health and other factors go the right way.
If that’s true, Subban vs. McDavid could be a fun matchup to watch a few times per season for a long, long time.