Hitchcock admits he will put a tremendous burden on McDavid's shoulders.

The Edmonton Oilers have been blessed. 

Their fans may disagree when you consider how the team has been managed for the better part of the last decade but the Oilers have had the good fortune of getting the 1st overall draft pick for an almost comical number of seasons. They have not always made the best possible use of those picks but the one that everyone can agree they did right was the decision to pick generational superstar Connor McDavid 1st overall. McDavid has been dynamite for the Oilers and has made a strong case for being considered as the very best player in the league since joining the ranks of the National Hockey League.

That being said though since he joined the Oilers the organization has not been able to build a serious contender around him and this has led to tremendous frustration on the part of both pundits and fans alike. The Oilers did make a drastic change earlier in the season when they fired head coach Todd McLellan but that doesn't change the players the Oilers have put around McDavid, or their reliance on his skill to win games. 

Earlier this week McDavid played for a staggering 28 minutes in the Oilers win over the St. Louis Blues organization and while there may be some concern over him getting so much ice time it doesn't sound like the plan is to slow things down at all, at least not anytime soon. Newly appointed head coach Ken Hitchcock is clearly relying a great deal on his top superstar and he made it clear after the game that this may become a regular thing.

"I think we can play him 25-plus because he plays at 5-on-5 and on the power play," said Hitchock as per The Score before adding "It's a whole different animal if you're killing penalties."

Now if McDavid is genuinely capable of taking on the bigger workload it seems to make a lot of sense to get him as much time as possible, after all the superstar talent has contributed on literally 50% of the Oilers goals this season. That being said though if I am an Oilers fan I would be very concerned given how this organization has handled star players in the past. With more ice time comes more fatigue, more wear on your body, and even possibly more injuries down the road.