Oilers Connor McDavid: Calder Trophy Chances

Oilers Connor McDavid: Missed Too Much Time to Win Calder Trophy?

Edmonton Oilers Connor McDavid went off for five points against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday night, sparking an intriguing conversation. TSN‘s Leafs Lunch proposed a question amidst their conversation of the young superstar, “how many points would Connor McDavid need to win the Calder Trophy?“.

He’s currently got 24 points in 19 games. But, unless he’s putting up points above a 1.5 ppg pace – roughly 39 points over his last 26 games (63 points total), Oilers Connor McDavid will struggle to garner enough consideration as a Calder Trophy nominee, let alone winner.

Today’s favorite to take home the hardware is Chicago’s Artemi Panarin. He’s got 52 points in 56 games (0.92 ppg) playing alongside NHL points leader Patrick Kane. Following closely behind is Detroit’s Dylan Larkin with 38 points in 53 games. He’s also tied for the league lead at +26, proving a reliable two-way center in his first year of pro. Also vying for honors as top rookie is Buffalo’s Jack Eichel, Arizona’s Max Domi, and Philadelphia’s Shayne Gostisbehere.

The reason Edmonton Oilers Connor McDavid doesn’t deserve consideration for the Calder Trophy has nothing to do with his amazing skill-set, and everything to do with significant time lost.

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Why does this matter? McDavid never got a shot to hit that rookie wall, and prove that he could fight through it. After more than half a season NHL experience, teams have a better scouting report on players with game footage and notes. It’s up to the young player to make adjustments in their game to stay effective.

Let’s not forget about the wear-and-tear on a body over a grueling 82-game season. Players have admitted in the past that it’s an adjustment to the NHL lifestyle. It’s not to say McDavid would’ve hit that rookie wall, but he never got the chance to battle through it the way others have.

Max Domi is a great example. Next to Panarin, he was the hottest rookie over the first few months of the season. His production has since slowed as the Coyotes continue to slide outside the playoff picture. Without that large sample size, it’s difficult to award the Calder Trophy to a guy who’s only played half a season.

Another great example is Philadelphia’s Shayne Gostisbehere. He’s turning heads scoring at a near point-per-game pace on the blueline. With 29 points in 35 games, Gostisbehere is on pace to have a similar season to John Klingberg from 2014-15. Klingberg (40 points) outscored the Calder winner Aaron Ekblad by one point, with only 65 games played.

Gostisbehere in on pace to appear in 64 games, and produce 43 points. While impressive, those 18 games missed to open the season is just enough to put him on the outside looking in (fair or not).

Next: 2016 NHL Mock Draft 2.0: Rounds 1-3

What could Edmonton Oilers Connor McDavid need to do in order to garner more serious consideration for the Calder Trophy? Can he do it with a few repeat performances such as the one from Thursday? Does he need to put this team on his back and single-handedly carry them out of the basement of the Western Conference? Or, has he simply missed too much time in a season where fans were treated to an overabundance of stellar rookie performances?

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