Wayne Gretzky makes feelings known about Connor McDavid's elite assist in Game 2

NHL legend Wayne Gretzky praised Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid for his remarkable assist on Leon Draisaitl’s power play goal in the first period of Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final.

With the game tied at two goals apiece, Connor McDavid weaved his way through the Florida Panthers penalty kill group, dishing a nifty pass to Draisaitl for the go-ahead goal.

Here’s a look at the play:

During the first intermission, the panel on the TNT broadcast discussed the tremendous play by Connor McDavid to assist on Draisaitl’s goal.

The panel had nothing but glowing remarks for McDavid’s singular talent. But when the panel turned the floor over to Gretzky, the "Great One" made it clear about how well McDavid was playing at the moment.

Gretzky said:

“We know he’s (McDavid) the best player in the game. He’s making every player around him even that much better now. And, that’s the sign of a true superstar and that’s why he’s the best player in the league.”

Gretzky’s comments underscore Connor McDavid’s performance on the ice as he looks to capture his first Stanley Cup and the first for the Oilers since 1990.

The "Great One" concluded his thoughts by stating:

“He’s unselfish. He works as hard as any player on the ice… He wants to win so badly. He happens to have the best set of hands hockey has to offer right now.”

The Oilers hope that McDavid’s unique skills, along with a solid supporting cast, will be enough to get past the Panthers this spring.

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Edmonton Oilers don’t want to rely on Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl playing together

The Oilers can fall back on Draisaitl and McDavid if need be - Source: Imagn

A piece in the Edmonton Journal published on June 6 explored the “nuclear” option the Oilers have by putting Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid on the same line.

The piece highlighted how Draisaitl and McDavid typically center their own lines at the start of the game. But as the game wears on, coach Kris Knoblauch knows he can fall back on a stacked line featuring McDavid and Draisaitl together.

However, that’s not something Knoblauch wants to rely on. The Journal quoted Knoblauch as saying:

“It’s nice to know that when those two get together midgame, that the results are pretty good. But, yeah, it’s something that we can’t rely on.”

While playing McDavid and Draisaitl together could make decisions easier for Knoblauch, he’d rather rely on his entire team to get the job done. He said:

“I think it also allows the rest of our team to know they’ve got a role. They’ve got to play well, and we’re not just relying on this one line that’s going to do all the work.”

Thus far, players like Corey Perry, Evan Bouchard and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins have stepped up at different times to give the Oilers the secondary scoring needed to support the big guns.

If the Oilers have their way, they won’t need to rely on a stacked McDavid-Draisaitl line to get the job done. But if it comes to that, they’ll be ready for the task.