Biz disagrees with Wayne Gretzky's $100,000,000 "greatest player on the planet" selling point for Oilers reaching Stanley Cup Final

Wayne Gretzky has called Connor McDavid the greatest player on the planet. McDavid struggled with injuries late in the season, with the Edmonton Oilers missing him and Leon Draisaitl for several games. But they eventually made the playoffs, winning four of their last five games with captain McDavid's help.

During Saturday’s NHL on TNT broadcast, Paul Bissonnette and Wayne Gretzky discussed the Oilers and Connor McDavid. Biz said that he was thinking about switching his pick from Edmonton and asked Gretzky to convince him to stick with the Oilers.

"I was thinking about switching, but I want Wayne to sell me on the Oilers. Why should I stick with that pick? I'm losing confidence by the minute," Biz said.

Wayne Gretzky responded with one word: “97,” referring to McDavid.

"97. How hard was that? The greatest player on the planet?," Gretzky said.

Biz disagreed, though, and chose Nathan MacKinnon as the best player.

"I'm going to disagree with you," Biz said. "I think the best player on the planet right now is Nathan MacKinnon, and I'm going to switch my Western pick to the Colorado Avalanche. I love what they did during the season — a complete rehaul of that lineup — and I'm off the Oilers. Back — it would have been nice to see an all-Canadian Final, Wayne."

Last season, during the Oilers' Stanley Cup finals run, Connor McDavid, who's signed on an eight-year, $100 million deal, finished third in league scoring, with 132 points in 76 games.

McDavid continued to deliver in both the regular season and playoffs and had 15 assists in his first seven playoff games in 2024, tying Gretzky’s Oilers record for fastest to 15 assists.

In Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final, McDavid had four points to break Gretzky’s NHL record for most assists in a postseason. McDavid finished the playoffs with 42 points in 25 games, while MacKinnon has scored a high of 25 points. So, come playoff time, McDavdi is on another level.

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Wayne Gretzky's pick, Connor McDavid, is backed by numbers

This season, Connor McDavid became the fourth player to have eight 100-point seasons, while MacKinnon scored 32 goals and had 84 assists for 116 points, the third 100-point season for him and ranked second in league scoring. MacKinnon has reached 1,000 career points like McDavid, who reached the milestone earlier in 2024.

Bissonnette prefers MacKinnon for his current form, but Wayne Gretzky still believes McDavid is the best player. Stats show McDavid’s consistency and all-time level production. MacKinnon had a great season but hasn’t matched McDavid’s totals.