In Case Anybody Was Wondering, Connor McDavid Is Still The Nastiest Hockey Player On The Planet
You could send Jack Eichel to almost any corner of the world, and he'd be the best hockey player there. He's a Stanley Cup Champion. He could have easily been named a Conn Smythe winner. But when you put him out on a sheet of ice and he gets caught flat-footed with Connor McDavid barreling down his direction with a full head of steam? Well Jack Eichel ends up looking just like how you or I would end up looking in that position. Traffic cone city, population 1.
We've seen him put opponents in this exact same position hundreds of times before. You can count on one hand the amount of times that guys have left this position unscathed. 99% of the time, they are getting absolutely cooked to beyond well-done. If you think he's going outside, he's going to come back inside. If you think he's going inside, he's going to take you outside. If you think that he thinks that you think he's going inside, he's going to go inside because he knows you think that he thinks you think he's going to switch it up on you. The fact of the matter here is that Connor McDavid is able to process every single possibility before you even realize how much danger you're actually in as a defender.
Mikko Rantanen has been having a great playoffs. William Nylander has been putting the Leafs on his back. Dylan Strome has been playing his best hockey since he was in Erie playing with McDavid on the Otters. But here comes Connor McDavid with a not so gentle reminder that nobody strikes more fear into their opponent's soul when they have the puck on their stick than 97 with a full head of steam.
Draisaitl with the overtime game winner coming off a primary assist from Connor McDavid, and a secondary assist from the stripes on missing this call on Arvidsson's can opener.
Brutal missed call. But that's politics, bitch.