Oilers Star Chasing Sixth Art Ross Trophy to Join Elite Company

With the regular season entering its final five weeks, one Edmonton Oilers center sits atop the NHL scoring race once again, and one more title would push him into elite company.

Mar 10, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid (97) during the first period against the Colorado Avalanche at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The NHL calendar has quietly crossed the 1,000-game mark, and the regular season's final stretch is upon us. Contenders have stopped tinkering. Sellers have finished purging. Playoff pictures are taking their final shape, and the statistical races that help define a season's historical record are now front and center.

At the top of that conversation sits Connor McDavid. The Oilers captain leads the Art Ross Trophy race with 110 points through 65 games, sitting six clear of Nikita Kucherov and Nathan MacKinnon. But the number that matters most right now isn't 110. It's six.

Chasing Legends

A sixth Art Ross Trophy would move McDavid out of a five-way tie and into a group with only Mario Lemieux and Gordie Howe, each of whom won the scoring title six times. Only Wayne Gretzky, with 10, stands above that tier. The company McDavid would be joining isn't just elite.

It's eternal, the kind of list that separates the great from the all-time great. McDavid won his fifth scoring title in 2022-23, and the race has only grown more competitive since. Kucherov has claimed the last two Art Ross Trophies, taking back-to-back crowns while McDavid navigated injury and circumstance.

Feb 26, 2026; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Nikita Kucherov (86) looks on against the Carolina Hurricanes during the third period at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images | James Guillory-Imagn Images

Now, with the Oilers pushing toward the postseason, McDavid is back on top and closing in on history with the consistency that has defined every great chapter of his career.

Three-Way Battle

Nothing about this race is settled. Kucherov sits at 104 points through just 59 games and has been the hottest player in the league over the last several weeks. MacKinnon also carries 104 points through 62 games and has been the steadiest of the three all season.

However, his finishing remains a major concern for him. Twice, he has finished as runner-up to Kucherov. That too, in the last two campaigns, without ever fully getting his due. Health and playing time over the final stretch may ultimately decide it.

Last April, MacKinnon sat out the final three games of the regular season and lost the crown to Kucherov by five points. Five points. With each of these three players projecting to play similar minutes, the margins are thin enough that a single missed game could flip the result entirely.

The Bigger Picture

Beyond the hardware, this race is a reminder of what McDavid has spent a decade building. Five scoring titles before his 30th birthday. Only two players are ahead of him, with Howe having six scoring titles before he turned 30. Wayne Gretzky, meanwhile, is far ahead of the competition with nine Art Ross Trophies.

If McDavid can capture the title once more this season, he will move ahead of Lemieux and will have the chance to tie Howe. Meanwhile, if he continues his current PPG, his projected end-of-season tally stands at 139. That would give him the fifth-highest scoring season of the last 30 years.

What makes this even more incredible is that he already holds the number one spot on that list with his personal best of 153 points that he scored in the 2022-23 season. Can he join Howe and Lemieux in the process? The final five weeks will decide that.

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