McDavid: Oilers 'dialled in' after another playoff heartbreak
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The Edmonton Oilers returned to the ice early this month, with a large portion of the roster taking part in informal skates organized by captain Connor McDavid.
After a second-round playoff loss to the Vegas Golden Knights in the spring, McDavid believes the turnout shows the team's commitment to getting over the hump this season.
“I think is says a lot about where our group is at, everybody is dialled in, everybody is super-motivated, everybody is determined and everybody is in it together,” McDavid said Wednesday.
“I think that’s kind of the message I’ve been feeling just with guys wanting to come back and make sure we’re all together for a couple of weeks before camp.”
The Oilers reached the playoffs for the fourth straight year last season. Their best result during that stretch was reaching the Western Conference Final in 2022, when the Oilers were swept by the Colorado Avalanche.
McDavid is coming off an astounding regular season in which he became just the sixth player in history to top 150 points, and the first to do so since Mario Lemieux in 1995-96.
The 26-year-old's 64 goals and 153 points in 82 games led him to his first Rocket Richard Trophy and fifth Art Ross Trophy. He also claimed the Hart Trophy for a third time and won the Ted Lindsay Award for the fourth time in his eight-year career.
With individual accolades secured, McDavid's focus is on team success and seeing the Oilers strike while their Stanley Cup window is open.
“I feel a sense of urgency every single year, it doesn’t matter about contracts or anything like that,” McDavid said. “I feel like our opportunity is here now, just with the age of our group and the stages that we’ve kind of gone through and steps. I feel really good about our group. I feel like everybody is in their prime.”