Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are an elite duo for the Edmonton Oilers. But besides Draisaitl, which NHLers are the best Robin to their team's Batman?
By Gary Pearson, BetMGM
When I think of the NHL's best supporting act, my mind immediately lands in Edmonton, where Leon Draisaitl continually puts up lead-act numbers in his support of the main man on campus, Connor McDavid.
Whether he likes to admit it, he's Robin to McDavid's Batman. So, who is the NHL's second-best supporting act, and can he unseat Draisaitl as the head of the right-hand man club?
Martin Necas, RW, Colorado Avalanche
Talk about a dream move for Martin Necas, whose arrival in Colorado last season has provided the Stanley Cup odds favorites with one of the best one-two punches. I'm sure I don't need to introduce the Mile High City's main act, who is clinging to his lead atop the Hart Trophy odds chart.
Necas is sixth in league scoring, with 50 points (19 goals and 31 assists) and a plus-38, which is second only to Nathan MacKinnon's plus-48. The 26-year-old also has the third-most even-strength points, with 41.
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Matt Boldy, LW, Minnesota Wild
Playing boldly and with bravado, Matt Boldy is scoring more than a point per game for the first time in his five-year career.
Boldy is amassing points at such a comparatively prolific rate that he's tied with the team's apex predator, Kirill Kaprizov, who makes $10 million more per season. Boldy has 47 points in 40 games, including 25 goals, tied for second with Morgan Geekie.
Jason Robertson, LW, Dallas Stars
Nobody has more goals since Nov. 11 than Jason Robertson, who has netted 20 goals in a 23-game span. MacKinnon is second in that timeframe, scoring 18 in 20.
Robertson is sixth overall with 23 goals, tied with Kaprizov and Brad Marchand. The 26-year-old American has nine power-play goals, tied for fourth with Alex DeBrincat.
What's even more impressive is that Robertson doesn't usually play on Mikko Rantanen's line.
Kyle Connor, LW, Winnipeg Jets
First, we must ascertain who represents Batman: Kyle Connor or Mark Scheifele? While they have identical stat lines – 18 goals, 27 assists and 45 points – I'm slapping the Robin tag on Connor, which I presume is to his maddening chagrin.
Connor has 33 even-strength points, which is tied for seventh with William Nylander.
He is one of the league's elite snipers, scoring at least 30 goals in all seven seasons, excluding his 20-game rookie year and the abbreviated COVID-impacted campaign.
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Sam Reinhart, RW, Florida Panthers
Sam Reinhart has, like most of his teammates, finally awoken from an extended summer slumber.
He has the fifth-most points since Nov. 10, with 35.
Compare that to his measly eight-point haul in the season's first 15 games, and you have one of the primary reasons why the Cats have their pounce back.
He's now only two points behind leading man Marchand.
Morgan Geekie, LW, Boston Bruins
Morgan Geekie represents the most surprising inclusion on this list, with the 27-year-old on pace to eclipse last season's career-best campaign.
Geekie shot out of the starting gate like a pebble from a suped-up slingshot, scoring 10 goals in a 12-game stretch from Oct. 21 to Nov. 13. Nobody had more goals in that sample size.
While he's cooled recently, scoring three in the previous 10, Geekie is just a point behind David Pastrnak, albeit with five more games played.
Geekie has 40 points in as many games and is tied with Boldy for the second-most goals (25).