Greg Cote puts the final nail in the coffin of Connor McDavid's G.O.A.T status & comparison to Wayne Gretzky

Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers lost their second consecutive Stanley Cup Final as the Florida Panthers won in six games. The Oilers captain was completely shut off in the last four games, three of which the Panthers won, amounting to just 2 points, reigniting question marks over his legacy.

The debate about Connor McDavid being the greatest and most evolved player of all time has been going on for quite some time. However, many senior analysts of the hockey world believed that to be held in the same light amongst the greats like Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, and his idol Sidney Crosby, he would have to deliver a team championship.

In fact, his path to winning the Stanley Cup also mirrored Gretzky and Crosby's, who had also lost their first Cup Final but came back to etch their names on the coveted trophy in the second time of asking. Unfortunately for 'McJesus' it wasn't to be.

The Oilers crumbled against the Panthers' defensive forecheck and lineup depth. They weren't able to stamp their style of play throughout the series and their top two players - McDavid and Leon Draisaitl - were restricted to almost nothing.

Their second loss prompted one of McDavid's most ardent critiques, Miami Herald's Greg Cote to rehash his old statement and publicly called out the 28-year-old for no-showing during the series that resulted in the team's loss.

"I have written and said for two years that McDavid should not be called “McJesus” or the next Gretzky or given G.O.A.T. status because he remains a king without a crown," Cote said. "The Panthers again have verified my claim, and served to underline my admittedly harsh nickname for McDavid. McOverrated.

"He might be the best player in hockey, but he was not best player in this series, or even on his team, or good enough to elevate his team to be the best, either. In the six final games, he managed but one goal and five assists. McJesus was not walking on (ice) water. He was mostly invisible, made so partly because of Barkov’s defense against him,"

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Frank Seravalli rejects any chatter about Connor McDavid moving out of Edmonton

Having lost two back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals, there has been speculation that Connor McDavid would like to take his business some place else as he looks to win a Stanley Cup.

However, NHL analyst Frank Seravalli on the Sportsnet broadcast cleared the air, saying that although the Oilers' management has't spoken about it in public, the deal should be done by the end of next month.

"It's not that Connor McDavid isn't a priority—he is the franchise—but I think they've had enough conversations up until this point to have a pretty clear understanding of where that's heading next.

"I fully expect, despite the innuendo and topic of conversation on social media, that Connor McDavid will be signing that eight-year extension with the Oilers at some point this summer, probably in the month of July," Seravalli said.

It remains to be seen how much the Oilers end up offering McDavid, considering the salary cap is expected to rise to $104 million in 2026-27.