Connor McDavid is showing no signs of slowing down amid a red-hot start to the 2026-27 season.
McDavid recorded three assists in Tuesday’s 4-3 overtime win over the Minnesota Wild, bringing his total to 20 on the season. He became the fastest player in NHL history to hit the 20-assist mark, doing so in just nine games.
The 29-year-old superstar bested some elite names, as the record was previously shared by Pat LaFontaine (1992-93), Mario Lemieux (1988-89) and Wayne Gretzky (1986-87), who all hit 20 assists in 10 games.
McDavid posted three assists in a game for the 66th time Tuesday, moving him to sixth all-time in that category behind Gretzky (224), Lemieux (108), Paul Coffey (82), Adam Oates (71) and Sidney Crosby (67).
Record watch appears set to be a theme for McDavid this season as he now owns 26 points on the campaign. His current pace projects out to 56 goals, 187 assists and 243 points over an 84-game season.
McDavid has two extra games this season to top his previous career-high of 153 points set in 2022-23. His early-season pace, though, has opened the possibility of Gretzky being joined in the ultra-elite 200-point club.
Gretzky topped the 200-point mark four times in his career, all with the Oilers and remains the only player to ever do so. Lemieux fell just short of joining him as he posted 199 points in 76 games during the 1988-89 season.
200 Point Seasons in NHL History
| Player | Season | GP | Goals | Assists | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wayne Gretzky | 1985-86 | 80 | 52 | 163 | 215 |
| Wayne Gretzky | 1981-82 | 80 | 92 | 120 | 212 |
| Wayne Gretzky | 1984-85 | 80 | 73 | 135 | 208 |
| Wayne Gretzky | 1983-84 | 74 | 87 | 118 | 205 |
Gretzky and Lemieux combine to take up the top 13 seasons in NHL history in points, with Steve Yzerman ‘s 155 points in 1988-89 sitting 14th, just ahead of McDavid’s 2022-23 season. Phil Esposito (1970-71) and Bernie Nichols (1988-89) are the only other players to touch 150 points.
McDavid earned his first two assists Tuesday on power-play goals by Leon Draisaitl. The two stars have spent the season paired on a line together by new head coach Mike Babcock and the success has been undeniable.
The Oilers captain credited playing alongside Draisaitl as being key in early-season success prior to Tuesday’s win.
“I think Leo and I, when we did play together it was just a one-off or a situation where we needed to find one and we knew it wasn’t necessarily a long-term thing,” McDavid said. “So, to be able to have a stretch of games playing together - who knows what happens moving forward - but playing together has been so much fun, obviously, along with [Vasily Podkolzin] and [Mattias Ekholm] and [Evan Bouchard].
“I’ve said all along being out there with those guys, everybody knows where each other is, everybody has been reading off each other, playing fast, and everybody can make a play. It’s a pretty fun group to be out there with.”
McDavid, who has already moved up four spots this season to 44th in NHL history with 1,246 career points, will look to continue his historic start when the Oilers host the defending Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday.