Connor McDavid is ready to lead the Oilers.
The Edmonton Oilers' star forward seems poised to one day be appointed the captain of his team, something that he is definitely looking forward to.
“Obviously. If I was ever the captain at any point I think it would be one of the greatest honors and one of the accomplishments that I would definitely take the most seriously,”McDavid told the Toronto Sun.
“I don’t want to comment on it too much, but obviously it would be an unbelievable feeling.”
The talk of McDavid's possible captaincy began even before the start of his highly anticipated rookie campaign, as the team went all of he 2015-16 campaign without a captain. Unfortunately for McDavid, his rookie campaign was interrupted by a broken collarbone which limited him to just 45 games. He did manage to record 48 points last season, which prompted many in the hockey community to comment on the possibility of him captaining the Oilers.
Former Oilers' captain Wayne Gretzky commented on McDavid's potential during an interview with the National Post last season.
“I have a great deal of respect for him. In my point of view, I think he’s mature enough that he can handle it at any age,” said Gretzky.
From Sportsnet’s Mark Spector, in April:
Connor McDavid will be named as the Oilers’ captain at the age of 19 next fall, one of the items that was deduced at general manager Peter Chiarelli’s season-ending press briefing Sunday. Asked if his team would have a captain next season where this year it did not, the GM responded quickly: “I would think so, that we would have a captain next year.”
With the Oilers trading star forward Taylor Hall last month, it is a fair assumption that McDavid may be sporting the 'C' for the Oil next season.
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