Ahead of last season, Connor McDavid was supremely motivated, almost obsessive in fact, to finally win a Stanley Cup in his ninth year. And in the end he almost achieved this, coming up just one win short of the ultimate glory.
However, from adversity comes new hope, as McDavid had an epiphany. Now he has taken on board a different approach, in order to win the Holy Grail of hockey.
As the Edmonton Oilers struggled through a 3-9-1 start which resulted in Jay Woodcroft being fired, it was noticeable that their captain was not playing like his usual self. He manged just 10 points in his first 11 games -- pretty decent for most players, but nothing like what you expect from the best in the game.
A new way forward for McDavid
At the time it was assumed lingering injury issues were impacting McDavid's performances, with him indeed missing two games prior to Woodcroft's firing. However, he has put it down to something else, which has in turn changed his approach to preparing for the season ahead.
The five-time Art Ross Trophy winner discussed this new approach with Sportsnet's Mark Spector. He said: "I went with a little bit of a different strategy this summer. In years past, it's just been very volume heavy, Very go, go, go. Throw everything at the wall and hope something sticks. That strategy, as well as it's worked for me, I think about the beginning of last year. I was just very tired and fatigued from a long summer of training, and was not feeling very good on the ice. And it translated."
it's telling that as much as McDavid felt that he was tired at the beginning of last season, he still went on to have a special campaign. He would finish the regular season with 122 points in his final 65 games, and become just the fourth player in NHL history to reach the 100-assist plateau.
However, the seven-time All-Star was only getting warmed up, as he took his game to new levels during the playoffs. He led all players with 42 points -- including a playoff record 34 assists -- as the Oilers almost won it all, before losing 2-1 in the deciding game 7 versus the Florida Panthers.
McDavid did win the Conn Smythe Trophy as the best player in the playoffs, but this was of course little consolation. He was so devastated after the game 7 loss, he couldn't stomach leaving his teammates in the locker room to go back out onto the ice to receive his award - a decision which critics mistakenly took as a sign of poor sportsmanship.
More of a focus on rest and relaxation
Again though, the positive (in a manner of speaking) that came out of the heartbreaking 2-1 loss, was that the Oilers superstar realised he had to change his approach. He said: "You don't necessarily need to peak Sept. 18, but you need to peak for Oct. 9 when the first game is. This summer I took some time off the ice, rested a little bit. I was working hard off the ice, but I didn't go on the ice until August. Five great weeks on the ice, and I'm feeling good and ready to roll again."
The thought of McDavid being even better in 2024-25 must be a scary one for the rest of the league. He's already scaled heights most players can only dream of, but if anything, it does feel like he can do even more.
At the same time, the 27-year-old knows the NHL can be extremely unpredictable, although he has full confidence in the abilities of both himself and his teammates. He said: "Every year, the team takes shape in ways that you don't always expect. Last year, our identity was built around this team that is just never going to die. Like, you're never going to be able to put us out. And ultimately, it took right down to the very, very last game of the whole season to do that."
It's not going to be easy of course, but now the Oilers will take aim at winning that extra game in 2024-25. And if McDavid has any say then it will happen, as he continues to refine his game and show why he is still the best player in the game today.