Everyone knows what the expectations are for Connor McDavid in terms of offensive production. But what about when it comes to leadership and his off-ice presence?
The Edmonton Oilers know that a healthy Connor McDavid is pretty much a lock to get 100 points this coming season. That’s a reasonable expectation for a player who has shown time and time again that 25-35 goals and 75-85 assists are pretty standard.
What the Oilers need from McDavid in 2026-27 is more. If Edmonton wants to make another deep playoff run, McDavid will need to elevate other parts of his game and his off-ice presence. The Oilers have reached the Stanley Cup final in two of the past three seasons, but if they want to take the next step and win it all, it’s no longer about just having the best player.
Let’s take a look at the less obvious things he needs to bring to the table for this coming campaign.
Total Commitment To New Coach
Whether the hiring of Mike Babcock was a good idea or not, the Oilers are committed to it, and McDavid has to be too. He’s done his job early, trotting himself out there to talk about how excited he is, but the season hasn’t started yet, and the team hasn’t faced any setbacks.
Adversity will come, and when it does, McDavid needs to stay as steadfast about the hire as he is now.
"You name it, he's done it," McDavid said about Babcock. "It's a great opportunity for us players to be coached by somebody like him."
Things are upbeat now. When it’s not so much rainbows and lollipops, will McDavid step up again? He’ll need to, and the media will ask him again and again.
McDavid’s support will need to be unwavering.
Stepping Up For the Young Players
Beyond the support McDavid will show Babcock publicly and in private, the Oilers captain will need to be the advocate for the younger and depth members of the team. Speculation is that if Babcock targets anyone, it won’t be the stars. It will be the rookies and players with smaller roles. McDavid can’t let that happen.
There’s a line between holding players accountable and finding a scapegoat. McDavid will have to step in the middle if Babcock goes too far. No. 97 has the cache to call his coach out. He’s got the respect of everyone, and so much so that Babcock doesn’t win that battle.
McDavid also needs to allow those role players to shine. One mandate this season will be to involve more players and give more ice time to guys who didn’t get as involved as they should have in 2025-26. McDavid and the other stars need to step aside more than they have in the past and let players grow into bigger roles. That’s not always easy.
Coaches in the past haven’t committed to sharing ice time. They’ve gone with the McDavid and Leon Draisaitl nuclear-weapon option. Babcock says he won’t, but when the chips are down, or a goal needs to be scored, it’s hard not to go back to that well. McDavid needs to take an active part in willingly letting other guys impact the game.
No Contract Talk
Finally, McDavid needs to shut down any talk of his contract situation from the outset of camp. Media outlets and fans will try to sell that narrative again. The sooner he shuts it down, the better.
He's clearly committed to the Oilers, especially given his push to hire Babcock. To say it out loud immediately will help.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free.
See more of The Hockey News on Google and save us as a preferred source. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
