After putting up nine points in two games and vaulting 100 spots in the scoring race in just two weeks, zipping past players like they were drivers who don’t understand how a zipper merge works, he is shredding defences like Connor McDavid again.

And if the best player in hockey is back in form, then the Edmonton Oilers might not be far behind.

Because if there was any sliver of doubt left that the fortunes of this team are tied directly to one person, any doubt that McDavid is more valuable to his team than any other player in the NHL, it should be gone after the first 20 games of this season.

With McDavid at his best, the Oilers are a Stanley Cup contender. With McDavid slowed by an injury and off to a mediocre start, they are a 30th-place team with no shot at the post-season.

Too simplistic? Maybe. But, then again, maybe not.

When McDavid wasn’t himself, EVERYTHING was wrong with the Oilers. Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins weren’t generating much of anything. The bottom six was invisible. The defence was a blooper reel. The goaltenders ranked dead last in the league. The penalty kill ranked second last. The best power play in history turned cold. The goalie got demoted, the coach got fired and the general manager was on the hot seat.

The only hands that hadn’t turned completely cold were Zach Hyman (10 goals in the first 18 games) and Evander Kane (eight in the first 18).