Oilers analyst raises shocking claim on Connor McDavid’s struggles.

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The Oilers pulled off a much needed win last night over the Islanders, but it also saw some interesting trends continue that has led one Oilers analyst to conclude that McDavid’s peak may have already passed.

Connor McDavid is in one of the lowest scoring seasons of his career, accompanied by some very unusual slumps. The Oilers captain has frankly admitted that he hasn’t felt good at times this season.

Oilers analyst concludes Connor McDavid’s peak may be behind him

According to a recent article from Allan Mitchell of the Athletic, last night’s game saw a continuation of McDavid actually struggling away from Leon Draisaitl – a trend that’s continued all year, and is leading him to believe the peak of McDavid has passed.

McDavid has lost a little but remains an elite player. His wingers are off the pace. Nugent-Hopkins has fallen off by so much it’s fair to question how much he’ll play on the line over the rest of the season.

There’s not enough evidence to make the claim as things stand today, but the baffling season delivered by the top line is a unique moment in the career of Edmonton’s captain. It’s possible that McDavid’s best scoring and outscoring years are behind him.

While it could be possible that McDavid has peaked in his offensive output seasons, there should be no worry that the Oilers captain is going to fall off a cliff – still in fact, this down season could be an anomaly.

McDavid has suffered some minor injuries this season, has played through illness, played through the 4 Nations Faceoff without a mid-season break, and went to the Cup Final last season.

Injuries, illness, and fatigue are massive reasons that could be a drag on McDavid’s performance this year.

In addition, Mitchell raised the reality that both of McDavid’s primary linemates – Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hyman – are scoring no where near the rates of years past.

When McDavid is on a line without Draisaitl at five-on-five, the numbers fall. The captain’s linemates are stone-cold in the offensive end and it’s impacting the line’s goal share and the team’s results. Since his scoring with Draisaitl remains elite, it’s reasonable to suggest the bigger part of this story surrounds his linemates.

The immediate concern for the Oilers has to be winning the minutes with McDavid on the ice, and that may have to come at the cost of playing him with Leon Draisaitl.

Further down the lineup, more major changes could occur as Knoblauch adjusts to a season’s worth of work that Nuge and Hyman aren’t scoring as much. Even with these major changes, McDavid and Draisaitl have the skill and will to lead the team to success.