Skip to content

Gretzky: Hall, Eberle, Nugent-Hopkins to ease McDavid's transition

Andy Devlin / National Hockey League / Getty

Generational talent and 2015 first overall pick Connor McDavid, who's yet to take the ice for his first regular-season game, is expected to set the league on fire.

Although that might be an overwhelming task, three tools, or Edmonton Oilers, at the prodigy's disposal will ease his transition to the pros, as Wayne Gretzky sees it.

Gretzky believes Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins can continue to shoulder key responsibilities in Edmonton until McDavid becomes the face of the franchise, as many predict.

"For Connor, I think those three players who have gone through so much to start their careers in Edmonton and been under the microscope and matured a lot and are really good players are going to be so important for him," Gretzky told Terry Jones of the Edmonton Sun.

“Nugent-Hopkins might be more important for Connor in the sense that he’ll probably see the No. 1 matchup, especially on the road. That should take a lot of pressure off McDavid like it did me my first 40 games.”

Gretzky recorded an astounding 51 goals and 137 points in his first season in the NHL.

"I didn’t have to go up against the No. 1 center every night," Gretzky said. "Stan Weir was the guy to center the No. 1 line. He was a veteran player. He was a sort of 25-goal, 45-assist guy and a strong two-way player.

“It took about 40 games in the NHL where I really felt mentally comfortable.”

Plenty of goals are likely in store for McDavid, but, according to "The Great One," the rookie can take his time to adjust before the real pressure to perform ramps up.

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox