Connor McDavid: third time leading the league in playoff points… but no ring

Dose
Crédit: Photo by Mike Carlson/Getty Images

It’s done: the Florida Panthers have won the Stanley Cup. Sam Bennett, who will be a free agent in less than two weeks, is the MVP of the entertaining 2025 series.

Québécois A.J. Greer, Roberto Luongo and Sylvain Lefebvre are Stanley Cup champions. Greer had never won the trophy before and was the only Québécois in the final.

I wonder how Jonathan Huberdeau is feeling this morning…

Aleksander Barkov, Sergei Bobrovsky, Matthew Tkachuk, Brad Marchand, Paul Maurice: you could name several people this morning who are two-time Stanley Cup champions.

But at the other end of the spectrum, there’s Connor McDavid, who has lost twice in the finals. He’s the only captain in the last 50 years to lose back-to-back finals.

And what’s worse? This is the third time in four years (2022, 2024 and 2025) that the Oilers captain, who was clearly playing injured on the heels of the 2025 final, has led the league in playoff points. He was even last year’s playoff MVP.

But he still doesn’t have a ring.

It’s clear to see that without goaltending and depth, a player, no matter how good, can’t win. His 33 points in 22 games this year are proof of that, as are his 150 points in 96 games since the start of his career.

And what about Leon Draisaitl’s 52 goals and 141 points in 96 career playoff games?

Note that according to Matthew Tkachuk, McJesus is too good not to win it one day. But right now, I imagine McDavid doesn’t want to hear that, as he must be very disappointed.

Ah: remember that the Oilers captain, who is proud of his boys’ effort against the overmatched Panthers, can sign a contract extension as early as July 1, 2025…

overtime

– Gonzo must be relieved.

– Giving the Cup first to all the guys who weren’t there last year and never won: wow.

– Matthew Tkachuk: a banged-up guy.

– Pure, unadulterated domination.

– Interesting.