John Tortorella Thinks Connor McDavid Needs to Change His Game

John Tortorella has won a Stanley Cup, to this point Connor McDavid has not. Tortorella thinks it's in McDavid's best interest to change his game if he wants to win hockey's ultimate prize.

With the way the Edmonton Oilers are looking this season they have a fantastic chance to make some noise in the playoffs, perhaps even top-3 Stanley Cup favorites. However, some aren't quite sold yet and you can add John Tortorella to the list. Here's what the ESPN analyst had to say:

I do think he has to change his game a bit. Not turn into a checker, obviously. He's talked about culture, he's talked about standards, he's talked about winning. You're not just going to fill the net during the playoffs and outscore teams. You have to play on the other side of the puck. You have to have that business-type attitude of, 'Nothing's going to bother me, no matter how you're going to check me.

Don't talk about it, just play hard, play through it, but the other side of the puck is that important too come playoff time. I think he's learning. Head coach Dave Tippett) is going to have to get that whole group - if they're talking about a Stanley Cup - they're all going to have to play a little bit of a different way, not just try to outscore teams. Ovechkin - I didn't think they were ever going to win in Washington, but Ovi changed his game a bit and they ended up winning a Cup

Some will agree with Torts and others will point out there's a reason why he's on TV and not behind a bench. As for McDavid he's tied for the league lead in points and looks well on his way to another huge season. We'll have to wait and see if it includes hoisting the Stanley Cup. Torts isn't holding his breath.

John Tortorella believes Connor McDavid has to change his game to win the Stanley Cup 🏆

"You're not just going to fill the net during playoffs." pic.twitter.com/rkO8nCsYhO
— ESPN (@espn) November 11, 2021