Nathan MacKinnon, on par with the best in business?

[Mr Kot]

As of right now. I would take Mackinnon over McDavid if I was starting a team and I could only have one of them.

Look, while I believe other players can do well enough to keep pace with him, he literally can drag a team like the Oilers to a cup final. Very few players in the history of the NHL can do that. It's why he is considered top 10 already, and possibly fighting for top 5 at this point despite his lack of cup. Hell, I used to swear by the cup argument myself until seeing him play. It's just impossible to ignore his talent.

MacKinnon can match his pace, sure, just like other players like Kucherov or Drai can at times. But that's the thing; it's only sometimes and not consistent enough to say any of them are better. The fact that McDavid was a threat from day one makes him ahead of them easily. It would be absolutely silly to take anyone other than him with a clean slate.