Connor McDavid is lapping the field like no player since Wayne Gretzky

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You’d think we could run out of superlatives to describe Connor McDavid. But nope. Every season, he finds new, scintillating ways to drop our jaws. His latest exhibition: tracking to win the NHL’s Triple Crown, becoming the first player since 1995-96 to lead the NHL in goals, assists and points.

But it’s more than that, of course. McDavid is also on pace for 68 goals, which would be the century’s highest single-season total. He’s five points away from passing Nikita Kucherov’s 128 for the most in one season during the salary-cap era. McDavid’s on pace to join Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux as the only players to exceed 155 points in one season. McDavid has already pretty much locked up his sixth scoring title, which would tie him with Lemieux and Gordie Howe for the second most all-time.

But it’s more than that, even. McDavid is doing something this season that might vault him past “only” being considered a generational talent and give him a legitimate case for the best player in multiple generations. It’s all about that margin of victory.

Look at the NHL’s scoring leaderboard. McDavid currently leads the race by a staggering 28 points, a gap that should continue to widen over his final 17 games. We simply don’t see players run away with the Art Ross Trophy like that any more. Really, we’ve only seen a few do so on this level at any point.

It’s impressive enough when we consider that the second-place scorer is McDavid’s own teammate, Leon Draisaitl. Here’s a look at the widest scoring-title margins in NHL history when the No. 2 player was the winner’s teammate.

Largest scoring margin of victory, teammates included

1. Wayne Gretzky, 79, 1983-84

2. Wayne Gretzky, 75, 1986-87

3. Wayne Gretzky, 74, 1985-86

4. Wayne Gretzky, 73, 1984-85

5. Wayne Gretzky, 72, 1982-83

6. Wayne Gretzky, 65, 1981-82

7. Connor McDavid, 34 (pro-rated), 2022-23

8. Wayne Gretzky, 32, 1990-91

9. Mario Lemieux, 31, 1988-89

10. Wayne Gretzky, 29, 1980-81

11. Phil Esposito, 26, 1972-73

12. Gordie Howe, 24 1952-53

13. Phil Esposito, 23, 1973-74

T-14. Connor McDavid, 21, 2020-21

T-14. Bobby Orr, 21, 1969-70

T-16. Gordie Howe, 20, 1950-51

T-16. Jaromir Jagr ,20, 1998-99

T-18. Phil Esposito, 19, 1968-69

T-18. Bobby Hull, 19, 1965-66

T-18. Mario Lemieux, 19, 1987-88

So McDavid is on pace for (a) The seventh widest margin in NHL history, (b) The widest margin by any player in 36 years and (c) the widest margin of any non-Gretzky player, ever.

And when you consider the gap between McDavid and third-place Nikita Kucherov this season, it’s equally fascinating. Here are the biggest scoring title margins between the winner and a non-teammate in NHL history:

Largest scoring margin of victory, teammates excluded

1. Wayne Gretzky, 83, 1983-84

2. Wayne Gretzky, 78, 1984-85

3. Wayne Gretzky, 76, 1986-87

4. Wayne Gretzky, 74, 1985-86

5. Wayne Gretzky, 72, 1982-83

6. Wayne Gretzky, 65, 1981-82

7. Phil Esposito, 58, 1973-74

8. Connor McDavid, 39 (pro-rated), 2022-23

9. Connor McDavid, 36, 2020-21

T-10. Gordie Howe, 34, 1952-53

T-10. Bobby Orr, 34, 1969-70

12. Wayne Gretzky, 32, 1990-91

13. Mario Lemieux, 31, 1988-89

14. Wayne Gretzky, 29, 1980-81

15. Stan Mikita, 27, 1966-67

16. Phil Esposito, 26, 1972-73

17. Gordie Howe, 21, 1951-52

T-18. Gordie Howe, 20, 1950-51

T-18 Jaromir Jagr, 20, 1998-99

T-19. Phil Esposito, 19, 1968-69

T-19 Bobby Hull, 19 1965-66

T-19 Mario Lemieux, 19, 1987-88

Positively staggering. Kucherov’s pace puts him on track for 117 points, 39 behind McDavid. That would give McDavid the widest margin of the past 36 years.

So soak it in, everyone. Somehow, it feels like McDavid is…underrated? He’s lapping his competition at a level not even Howe, Orr and Lemieux did. He’s ascending to, if not a plane equal to Gretzky’s, a separate plane, alone as the second-most dominant scorer we’ve ever seen.

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