Crosby or Ovechkin? Ronaldo or Messi? Brady or Manning? The title of “best player in the world” is a source of endless debate in the world of sports. But in the NHL, we haven’t heard many of those debates in a while. That’s because Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid is the league’s undisputed king, and it’s been that way for nearly a decade.

Each year, Daily Faceoff analyst Paul Pidutti selects the best player in the NHL with a title he calls “The Torch.” The purpose of The Torch isn’t to crown the top player in a single season like an MVP award, but rather to name the player who is widely accepted as the best in the world at a given time. On Wednesday, he declared that The Torch is remaining in McDavid’s hands for the ninth consecutive year.

“The hardware totals are now: Ross (x6); Lindsay (x5); Hart (x3); Richard (x1); plus a Smythe and Olympic MVP in losing causes,” wrote Pidutti. “But it’s more how McDavid has played. He’s a cheat code, an evolutionary marvel of speed, touch, and vision.”

Pidutti has named a winner of The Torch for every year in the NHL’s history.........

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