McDavid stands alone, win or lose

Leafs draft what-ifs aside one ping-pong ball away) Oilers fans deserve to enjoy this ride

- BRUCE ARTHUR

Connor McDavid, who has 42 points in 23 playoff games this spring, is so brilliant he will win a Stanley Cup eventually, provided the Oilers don't totally screw it up, Bruce Arthur writes.

Hey, congratulations to Edmonton. Sure, the Oilers may not win the Stanley Cup, though being down 3-2 in the final is better than being down 3-0, and Sergei Bobrovsky is suddenly a screen door rather than a wall. The Florida Panthers were by far the better team in Game 5 for extended stretches; they just made the critical mistake of not winning the NHL draft lottery in 2015, which frankly could have happened to anyone. The Panthers are still very capable of winning this series.

But win or lose, Edmonton deserves congratulations, because no matter what happens this year, Connor McDavid is an Oiler. He's under contract for another year and is extension eligible on July 1, and his former agent is running the organization, sooo... anyway, raise a glass to Edmonton, you lucky buggers. I can admit that five years later, circumstances have proved me at least a little wrong.

It's an obvious statement, after all, but McDavid is a holy terror right now. You can prove it with the numbers, which aren't eye-popping because it's McDavid: He has 42 points in 23 playoff games this spring, behind only Gretzky's 47 in 1985, Lemieux's 44 in 1991, and Gretzky's 43 in 1988. The Conn Smythe is inevitable, win or lose.