If your best player won't, who will?

Of course the answer is nobody. Note: best doesn't always mean most talented, Toews vs Kane for may years as an example.

Job #1 for a hear coach is to motivate the best player if he isn't a self-motivator. The coach must be able to point to the "best" player and say, "If he can play a complete game and go full throttle when he's on the ice, I expect the rest of you to do it too."

McDavid doesn't have to be an elite defensive center.

And he's improved significantly in his own end over the last three seasons. If he continues to improve even a large amount there and continues to produce points at a higher rate than everyone else in the NHL, it won't increase Edmonton's shot at a Cup one bit.

Ovechkin is legitimately bad in his own end and he has a Cup. Mackinnon played an awful two-way game this season after an outlier of a season last year where he played well defensively. Ovie has a Cup and the Av's are the favorite in the Finals this year.

The Oilers' problem is their team is horribly constructed. They've made bad trades, bad signings, not great drafting and development outside of their top guys, poor coaching, etc. Also he plays in fucking Edmonton. How many big free agents are going to sign there v. New York, Philly, LA, Chicago, Boston, Toronto, and so on? Those issues are going to be McDavid's biggest obstacles to a Cup in Edmonton, not that he's mediocre in his own end.

If Edmonton misses the playoffs while he's still on this contract he should demand a trade. Otherwise he needs to be on the first flight out of there when he's a UFA. They will not win a Cup unless Holland makes some massive moves to address the dumptruck sized holes on that roster.

Exactly why Jordan made Phil Jackson's job so easy. *