3) Strive to be the best once again
Already established as the best player in the game today, Connor McDavid took his play to another stratosphere last season. He scored the most points since Mario Lemieux during the 1995-96 season and the fourth-most by any player in NHL history.
As a result, McDavid won his fifth Art Ross Trophy. In addition, he took home his third Hart Trophy, fourth Ted Lindsay Award and first Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy.
This season however, has been a tough one thus far for the 2015 first overall draft pick. It's been filled with plenty of adversity, including missing some playing time through injury, the Oilers' poor start and even controversy regarding his induction into the Canada Walk of Fame.
Worst of all, McDavid received unwarranted criticism from so-called fans with a short memory. Yes he was struggling by his own lofty standards as he equalled a career-worst eight-game goal drought, but still had 16 points through 16 games.
Regardless, the six-time All-Star then found his form, beginning with four assists in a 5-0 shutout of the Capitals. This represented the first of three straight games with three points in a single period, a feat not seen in 28 years.
All in all, McDavid has produced 32 points in his past 16 games, literally double the production from his first 16 contests of the 2023-24 campaign. As a result he has urged up the scoring charts and is now tied-fifth and 13 points behind NHL-leading Nikita Kucherov.
Certainly there is still a tough climb ahead of the Richmond Hill, Ontario native, in order to catch up to Kucherov. However, if there's one player capable of catching the Russian, it's the Oilers' captain.
No one is better when they're in a zone, compared to McDavid. He may well not end up winning four individual awards like last season, but he's going to at least be in the running for them all when it comes to crunch time.