Connor McDavid's five-point night against the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday put the Edmonton Oilers superstar in rarefied air, as he became only the fourth player in league history to start a season with 30-plus points in their first 10 games.
Leon Draisaitl, who had five points of his own in the 6-5 shootout win, has run out of ways to describe McDavid's impact.
"What do you want me to say? It's just not real," Draisaitl said, per NHL.com's Derek Van Diest. "He's maybe the greatest player to ever play, in my books. It's a pleasure to share the ice with him, a pleasure to learn from him every day. He deserves everything."
The only other players to eclipse 30 points in their first 10 games of a season are Wayne Gretzky, Mike Bossy, and Mario Lemieux (who did it three times). Lemieux's 37 points in his first 10 games of the 1988-89 season stand as the all-time record.
McDavid leads the early Art Ross Trophy race by 10 points, and 26 of his 31 points are primary. He's produced eight multi-point outings and already has three five-point games this season.
The 29-year-old is on pace for 260 points. While that may be unlikely, he's on track to smash his personal best of 153 points from his MVP 2022-23 campaign.
"I feel like he just keeps raising his level. It's impressive," said Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.
McDavid's scorching start has carried the Oilers to an 8-1-1 record, good for first in the Pacific Division. They return to action Saturday against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
