Connor McDavid is currently showcasing some of his best hockey skills at the Olympics in Milan, which might be partly because of a plan from Canada’s coach, Jon Cooper.
In the first three games of the tournament, Connor McDavid hasn’t been on the ice as much as he usually is in the NHL. His shifts are shorter, and he spends more time resting on the bench. Whenever McDavid gets onto the ice, he looks incredibly fast, almost like he was launched from a cannon.
Having less time on the ice seems to bring out the best in Connor McDavid while he’s with Team Canada.
Olympic Connor McDavid in his prime…🤯 pic.twitter.com/Xx2cNIJnf3
— Mike Kelly (@MikeKellyNHL) February 16, 2026
He played only 18 minutes and 4 seconds against Czechia and 14 minutes and 22 seconds against Switzerland. This is much lower than his average time with the Oilers this season, which is an impressive 23 minutes and 7 seconds.
With more time to rest on the bench, McDavid is super energetic every time he gets on the ice for Canada. He’s been making a huge impact during his shifts, even more than we usually see from him in the NHL. This might be something the Oilers can learn from; they might get more out of McDavid by giving him less ice time.
I’m really convinced this is why they just got their first 3-game win streak. There’s diminishing returns on McDrai at 27 minutes every night. This isn’t a way that’s going to win in the playoffs. https://t.co/gD8tX20Eyd
— Oilers All Day (@OilersEvery_Day) February 1, 2026
Interestingly, this has also been true earlier in the season with the Oilers. McDavid played his best hockey when he had noticeably less ice time.
Of course, Team Canada has better players to rotate in than the Oilers, and McDavid’s ice time will likely go up as they get into more important games. However, it’s clear that McDavid is performing just as well, if not better, with less ice time than when he plays a lot of the game with the Oilers.
Fatigue is a real issue during a long 82-game season, especially for the player who has the most ice time in the NHL among forwards. This could explain why the Oilers struggled to win three games in a row until recently—McDavid must be extremely tired. At the same time, Coach Knoblauch hardly plays the bottom three forwards on the team.
The Oilers might benefit from this situation by realizing that even a small reduction in McDavid’s ice time could help him perform better on every shift. Every bit of rest is important at the professional level, and having more breaks for McDavid could give him the energy to excel when he’s out there on the ice.
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