Surprise: Not Everyone's a Connor McDavid Fan
Today, I saw that Chris Johnston reported that the Edmonton Oilers' captain, Connor McDavid, said that his Oilers were an "average team with high expectations," and "We've been searching for consistency the whole year. Obviously, we didn't find it in the playoffs."
Honestly, it seemed like a pretty simple comment. But the replies to Johnston's tweet were not exactly what I’d expect. Most people would agree that McDavid is the best player in the world. And, to be truthful, many defended him as if he were untouchable. But almost equally as many acted as if he were the root of all the problems.
It’s funny how fast it swings. In reality, both sides are missing what’s probably the most obvious answer.
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The Oilers Underachieved, and McDavid Admitted as Much.
What McDavid said wasn’t groundbreaking. It was just honest. The team underachieved, and he said so. That’s not him throwing teammates under the bus, and it’s not some grand confession either. It’s a captain looking at a season that didn’t go the way it should have and calling it what it was. Seemed pretty simple to me.
But what I saw was that, on one side, you’ve got the “blow it up” crowd. Trade him, get the biggest haul in NHL history, and start over. It sounds exciting, sure. But it’s not how this works either. You don’t move a player like McDavid because things around him aren’t clicking.
If the structure’s off, if the system isn’t right, if the roster has holes, you fix those things first. Otherwise, you’re just creating a bigger problem than the one you started with.
On the Other Side, Some Fans Didn't Want to Hear Any Critique
On the other side, you’ve got the folks who don’t want to hear anything even remotely critical. Like questioning the team setup or roster construction somehow means you’re taking a shot at McDavid himself. That’s not it. Teams are complicated. When you build around a superstar, sometimes other parts of the roster get squeezed or overlooked. That’s not about blame; that’s just how roster building works.
Then there’s the coaching angle. You hear a lot about needing a tougher voice, more structure, more accountability. And sure, that might help. But it’s not a magic fix. Coaching matters, no doubt, but so does having the right mix of players, a system that actually holds up defensively, and depth that can carry its share of the load. You can’t pin all of this on one voice behind the bench either.
Is This Critique of the Oilers About McDavid at All?
The way I see it, this isn’t really about McDavid at all. It’s about a team that hasn’t quite figured out how to balance things. Too much reliance on offence, not enough attention to the details that win games when things tighten up.
Fans are going to argue. That’s part of the fun. Trade ideas will fly around, and every quote will get picked apart. But the real answer here isn’t dramatic. It’s the boring stuff: build a better roster, tighten up the structure, and stop expecting one player to carry the whole thing.