Wayne Gretzky makes bold prediction for Oilers' Connor McDavid

Wayne Gretzky praised Connor McDavid on Friday in Toronto, and he went well beyond the points while the Oilers captain chases his record.

The occasion was a ceremony renaming the Hockey Hall of Fame's resource centre in honor of Gretzky's late father, Walter. Gretzky was asked about McDavid after another big night, Thursday against the Ducks, when McDavid scored and had a point on all four Oilers goals in a 4-5 loss.

"It's incredible. He's a tremendous young man, he's obviously a great hockey player, and what he's doing is truly remarkable," Gretzky said.

He also made a broader point about the game itself. "As time goes on, the equipment gets better, the athletes get bigger and better, the game gets better, and it's all positive," he said.

The numbers back him up. McDavid has 10 goals and 44 points in 17 games, and he has not been held off the scoresheet once this season.

At 2.59 points per game, he'd finish with 217 points. That's two more than Gretzky's 215, which has stood for 40 years.

Why Gretzky thinks McDavid can win the Stanley Cup

The praise got personal when Gretzky talked about leadership. "He's on a mission to win a Stanley Cup, he wants it desperately, and that's what you need out of your best player and your captain," he said.

He added that the Oilers need that drive to get to the next level, and that McDavid has it in him.

Three five-point games already tie McDavid's career high for a season. He has also been strong without the puck, with career-best five-on-five defensive rates on the ice.

Past McDavid's personal bests, the career totals show how Gretzky's name keeps coming up. McDavid sits at 1264 points in 811 games, while Gretzky finished with 2857 points in 1487 games.

The Oilers are 11-3-3 and first in the Pacific, but they've lost two straight. Mike Babcock's team plays host to Vancouver tonight.

Edmonton also has a lot of emotion to manage around its captain. We covered Connor McDavid's reaction to the Drew Helleson hit on Friday.

Whether 217 is realistic is a fair debate. It is only 17 games, but he hasn't gone a night without a point, and that makes it hard to dismiss. The next test is Vancouver tonight.

Quick hits

MINNESOTA WILD: Kirill Kaprizov had a four-point night, per Michael Russo, as the Wild beat the Sharks 4-1. That's a historic win and a superstar performance.

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ANAHEIM DUCKS: Cutter Gauthier scored the go-ahead goal Friday as the Ducks rallied to beat the Flames 5-3 in Calgary. Anaheim has now won four straight.

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SAN JOSE SHARKS: Macklin Celebrini tied it for the Sharks in Minnesota, but they fell 4-1. It's a fourth straight loss, and the slide is getting ugly.

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COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS: Zachary Werenski scored again, but the Blue Jackets lost 5-2 at Buffalo in a road game that got away from them.

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UTAH MAMMOTH: NHL Rosters reported that the Mammoth have placed Kailer Yamamoto on injured reserve.

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