Connor McDavid has earned some hefty praise from Don Cherry.
Speaking on Coach’s Corner Saturday night, Cherry lauded the Edmonton Oilers captain, using his three-assist performance against the Pittsburgh Penguins from Tuesday to show how impactful the 19-year-old can be.
“Everybody thinks he’s going to drop it to [Eberle],” said Cherry of McDavid’s rush that led to Edmonton’s second goal of the game. “And look what he does.”
Cherry also pointed out how much space Jordan Eberle was afforded on Edmonton’s third goal, with McDavid crashing the back door and Penguins defenceman Brian Dumoulin (who was burned by McDavid on 2-1 goal), letting Eberle cut across the slot and make a deke to his backhand on an odd-man rush.
“Watch the two guys go with McDavid, [Dumoulin]’s not going to get caught again,” said Cherry. “This guy is fantastic, he’s the second best player in the league by far.”
Aside from his obvious on-ice skill, Grapes is most impressed by McDavid’s focus.
“He’s intense on the bench, he doesn’t fool around. He’s like Bobby Orr, he’s like all those guys… I love a guy on the bench that’s ready to go.
“That’s why he’s the second-best player in the world.”