He does not have an argument for being up there with the Big 4.
Howe was as good offensively with his placement in the Big 4 being as much about his all around game and longevity.
Orr and Mario were on other levels that McDavid has yet to reach.
Most of your post is fair. I understand the need to wait another handful of seasons before officially sliding McDavid into top 5 status—though I’m pretty sure you waived that rule when inducting Crosby.
I already covered Orr and Mario and why he can build a case against them based off being nearly as good yet having far more longevity, which brings us to Howe.
If McDavid keeps this up, it’s going to look pretty silly arguing against him, when his trophy cabinet is comparable or even exceeds what Howe did in a 6 team league 70 or so years ago. I’m fairly certain that McDavid has already equaled the number of top two PPG finishes Howe had, and that includes the ones Howe had past his age 28 season, which is what McDavid is currently in.
Will 6 Harts and 6 additional finalist nominations from such a small pool of players really outweigh something like 5 and 5 from McDavid in present day? I don’t think so.