Who has the most points in an NHL season? Where Connor McDavid could land on all-time list

Connor McDavid wowed fans when he entered the league in 2015. Eight years later, the 26-year-old superstar continues to blow the minds of hockey viewers around the globe.

The Oilers captain set a new career-high in points this season, breaking his previous best mark of 123 just last year.

McDavid’s two-goal outing against the Sabres on March 6 gave him points Nos.123 and No.124 to set a new milestone. Oh, and there are still 17 games left for him to add to his already elite output. 

MCDAVID MAGIC‼️

Connor McDavid sets a new career-high 124 points🤩 pic.twitter.com/o1ovihxYz7

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 7, 2023

It feels like as soon as we have given McDavid all the praise in the world, the four-time Art Ross winner comes back the next season and is even more astonishing. He already set a new career-high in goals this year, hitting 50 goals for the first time in his NHL tenure, and is threatening to reach 60. 

His insane statistics this year beg the question: What is the single-season record for most points by an NHL player?

MORE: How close is Alex Ovechkin to breaking Wayne Gretzky’s record

The Sporting News has you covered on that and where McDavid could end up ranking on the all-time list. 

How many points does Connor McDavid have this year?

As of March 7, McDavid has 124 points in 65 games during the 2022-23 NHL season. 

His 1.91 points per game rate is the highest of any season in McDavid’s career and well above his career average of 1.49. 

If the Edmonton star continues to put up points at the rate he has been and plays in all 17 of the remaining games for the Oilers, he will add at least another 32 points to his total, finishing the year with roughly 156 points. 

Who has the most points in an NHL season?

McDavid is already well on his way to breaking the salary-cap era for points in a season. Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov currently owns that record with the 128 points he put up in the 2018-19 season, but considering McDavid has 17 games to pass it, it’s safe to say that will soon be McDavid’s honor.

But in terms of all-time NHL leaders for points in a single season, McDavid’s rapid pace in 2022-23 … doesn’t even sniff the top.

Wayne Gretzky (ever heard of him?) has the record for most points in a single season. He also has the second-most. And third-most. And fourth-most. 

Gretzky’s career-high came in 1985-86 when he finished the season with an astonishing 215 points. He’s the only player in NHL history to hit at least 200 points in a single season, and he did it four times in his career. 

If McDavid stays on that 1.91 points per game pace, he could enter into the top 15 on the all-time list. Phil Esposito sits at No. 15 with his 152 points from 1970-71.

Getting into the top 10 isn’t impossible, with Gretzky’s 164 points from the 1980-81 campaign coming in at No. 10, but McDavid will need multiple double-digit point efforts to pass it.