Canada coach Jon Cooper unlocks prime strategy with Connor McDavid at Olympics

Through three games in the tournament, Connor McDavid hasn’t been the usual amount of ice time he does in the NHL. With much shorter shifts and more time on the bench, every time McDavid steps on the ice looks like he’s shot out of a cannon.

McDavid played just 18:04 of ice time against Czechia, and 14:22 against Switzerland. That’s down significantly from his average with the Oilers this season, which is at a single-season career high average of 23:07.

With more rest on the bench, McDavid is explosive every time he hits the ice for Canada. He’s been dominating every shift to a degree we don’t even see from him in the NHL. Perhaps the Oilers should take a lesson here, and realize they can get more from McDavid with less ice time.

That actually has been the case earlier this season in Edmonton, too. McDavid played his best stretch of hockey with the Oilers this season when he was getting notably less ice time.

Sure, Team Canada has better options to roll their lines than the Oilers do, and McDavid’s ice time will surely increase as they enter must-win games. But it’s undeniable that McDavid is doing just as much if not more with less ice time than he is by playing half the game with the Oilers.

Cumulative fatigue is a real factor over a gruelling 82 game season, especially for the player who’s leading the NHL in ice time among forwards. It may be a reason why the Oilers didn’t win 3 games in a row until recently - McDavid is just dogged-tired. At the same time, Coach Knoblauch barely plays their bottom six forwards.

Perhaps the Oilers can learn from this experience that reducing McDavid’s ice time even just a bit can unlock more from him in every shift.

The margins are meaningful at the pro level, and every bit of rest for McDavid loads up the tank for him to dominate when he steps on the ice.

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