Oilers look to sign Ryan McLeod, Evan Bouchard and 4th line center. Many have spoken about the truly incredible success that the Edmonton Oilers [https://puckpedia.com/team/edmonton-oilers] have had on the power play over the last five years - culminating in their record breaking conversion rate this past season. Leading the charge on the man advantage was Connor McDavid [https://puckpedia.com/player/connor-mcdavid] and his 71 power play points. Connor McDavid. [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MTk5MDI5OTExNjU3MTI5OTQw/usatsi_19686341_168401874_lowres.jpg] Connor McDavid. The only player in league history to get more power play points than McDavid in a season is Mario Lemieux [https://www.nhl.com/player/mario-lemieux-8448782]. The top three power play point totals are 80, 79 and 79, all three records held by Lemieux [https://www.quanthockey.com/nhl/records/most-power-play-points-in-one-season-by-nhl-forwards.html]. Wayne Gretzky [https://www.nhl.com/player/wayne-gretzky-8447400]'s personal record was 61 - which illustrates how dominate of a player he was at even strength. Related: Who's the Oilers' Version of the Maple Leafs "Core 4"? [https://www.quanthockey.com/nhl/records/most-power-play-points-in-one-season-by-nhl-forwards.html] There is one stat that has slipped under the radar from a lot of people who have been dissecting the 2022-23 regular season. McDavid had seven short-handed points. That would put McDavid third in the league for short-handed points behind the Vancouver Canucks [https://puckpedia.com/team/vancouver-canucks] duo of J.T. Miller [https://puckpedia.com/player/jt-miller] and Elias Pettersson [https://puckpedia.com/player/elias-pettersson]. The Oilers coaching staff utilized the star forward a lot more on the penalty kill this past season. McDavid had only skated for 12 seconds or less on average whenever the team was short-handed. In 2022-23 he saw a career high of 1:16 on the penalty kill. With more time on ice short-handed it is reasonable to believe that McDavid could get more short-handed points. Will the coaching staff give him more short-handed minutes next year? Connor McDavid. [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MTk4OTI5NjQ3NTI0NjUyODA3/usatsi_20611175_168401874_lowres.jpg] Connor McDavid. We know that McDavid is an incredibly competitive player - and now that he has seen more time on the penalty kill, is that the way that the Oilers get better while down a skater? Is that how McDavid finally cracks 160 points? With the way he has developed as a player in the NHL, I wouldn't be surprised. Related: Oilers 2023 Off-Season Guide [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/edmonton-oilers/opinion/oilers-2023-off-season-guide] Related: Oilers' Have the Best $8-Million Player in the NHL [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/edmonton-oilers/opinion/oilers-have-the-best-8-million-player-in-the-nhl] Related: Oilers Will Never Trade McDavid Like They Did With Gretzky [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/edmonton-oilers/opinion/oilers-will-never-trade-mcdavid-like-they-did-with-gretzky] Related: Oilers Are One Step Closer to Being Stanley Cup Champions [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/edmonton-oilers/opinion/oilers-are-one-step-closer-to-being-stanley-cup-champions]
