Connor McDavid's Electrifying Offensive Toolkit

Connor McDavid is the superhuman of modern-day hockey. The Oilers superstar is currently on pace to smash career expectations once again, but he has somehow taken his game to another level this year. McDavid is currently on pace for over 60 goals and over 150 points, which would be the first time a player would hit that point mark since Bernie Nicholls in 1988-1989. That was 34 years ago.

Ever since being drafted by the Oilers in 2015, McDavid has continued to produce over a point-per-game every season, along with incorporating high-end offensive tactics into his game that no defender can easily stop.

We all know about what McDavid's puck transporting ability allows him to do on the ice. He incorporates relentless pace moving north, high-end puck skills and playmaking under pressure, and brings constant creativity and vision every game to his play. His manipulation, deception, and ability to make plays with constant acceleration and separation, make him a massive threat off the rush. However, what really makes McDavid from others? How is it that a player like McDavid is far and above any other player in the NHL?

Three Key Elements

1. Backhand Playmaking

2. Positive Speed Differential

3. Adaptability/Problem-Solving

An element of McDavid's hockey sense is his ability to adapt to circumstances all over the ice, and problem-solve pressure with ease. He plays the game with an instinctual flow, a situational flow, that allows him to control the play on the fly. Along with this comes McDavid's ability to slow the play down in his head, and think the game at an elite, efficient level.

Being able to process the play at an elite level means not making decisions that are easy to make, like dumping the puck in the zone, or overhandling pucks under pressure to make a play. McDavid has an instinct that allows him to see through pressure, unravel it, and identify where he wants to attack on his next play. Here, he does an excellent job circling back in the neutral zone, and not forcing a dump in right away. Any other player would typically dump that puck in, but McDavid doesn't. He understands that he wants to leverage a bad change by the Rangers, in which caught nearly every forward out of position.

McDavid cuts in laterally, then starts accelerating north to attack both Rangers defenders head on. He turns a 1v4 into a 1v2 by getting behind both forwards, and realizes that Trouba is trying to gap up on him. He takes advantage of that, finds a window of space up the middle, cuts through the hands of Patrik Nemeth, and gets in route to the net.

McDavid finishes with an excellent backhand finish to beat Georgiev clean, and undressed five Rangers players with ease. McDavid has an elite ability to process the play, see a small window of space, and then attempts to create directly off the attack. It's rare to see players do this, and rare to have such a problem-solving component to one's game, even in the NHL.

McDavid's problem-solving and adaptability to the play helps him be an elite threat off the rush, in-zone offensively to find the middle of the ice when on the perimeter, and create relentless attacking pressure.

Positive speed differential is a term that is very underrated when evaluating components to a player's game. Essentially, it's when a player is moving faster than the opponent. Not at the same speed as the defender, as speed differential would be nullified there. On the flip side, positive speed differential means that when defenders are moving slow, attackers are moving faster to create waves of speed in their favor.

McDavid's ability to incorporate positive speed differential off the rush, and when he gets going in his acceleration speed from 0-60, is not an easy thing to slow down. McDavid's astute ability to hold onto the puck whilst in motion, and not allow pressure to slow him down, makes him separate from defenders with ease.

Off a really good line rush structure from the Oilers here, McDavid gets speed going behind the puck. A major first component when looking to create positive speed differential. Then, McDavid accelerates north, attacks the entry and both defenders in a straight-line pattern, then changes to a slant route when Liljegren tries to poke at the puck. Liljegren's feet are both turned toward McDavid, meaning all his weight is shifted toward his check, allowing McDavid to faint left.

McDavid cuts left, opens up a shooting window laterally to open up Samsonov's five hole, and scores. Classic McDavid, to no surprise.

McDavid's ability to incorporate backhand playmaking into his game makes him more dynamic, as he brings the ability to find space and protect the puck efficiently. He does an excellent job also not losing speed when he handles the puck on his backhand, which is what happens to most players trying to use their backhand when handling the puck.

Here on this goal, McDavid does an excellent job spinning off Trevor Zegras, in order to find the middle of the ice and cut across the slot. McDavid does an excellent job finding the middle, cutting laterally, and he roofs the puck top shelf behind John Gibson. An excellent display of skill, puck protection, nifty footwork, but most importantly, the ability to utilize his backhand motion.

McDavid handles the puck better on his backhand than some players in the league do on their forehand, because of high-level coordination, puck positioning, and an ability to use his hip pocket. McDavid can handle the puck to the side of his body and in front of his body on his backhand, which helps him stay stronger on the puck. This helps him be more direct in his playmaking, since it's easier for him to find space, use nifty stickhandling, and keep the puck on a string.

It's McDavid's world in the NHL, and it will continue to be that way for such a long time. It's no secret that he'll continue to bring out his bag of tricks in every game as a playmaker, and it's only a matter of time before we see him on the highlight reel again.

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