Sometimes the toughest stories to cover aren't about winning—they're about watching greatness slip away.

Connor McDavid, the best hockey player on the planet, played through a fracture during the Edmonton Oilers' playoff run. Let me say that again. The best player in the world was playing hurt, grinding through pain, trying to will his team to a championship.

And it still wasn't enough.

"Connor McDavid had fracture, says coach," was the headline from Sportsnet, but that barely scratches the surface of what's happening in Edmonton right now.

Both McDavid and Leon Draisaitl have expressed deep concern about the team's direction. Translation: they're frustrated. They're watching their championship window close. And they're wondering if management is going to do what it takes to build a contender around them.

Here's the brutal reality, folks. McDavid is 29 years old. Draisaitl is 30. These are not rebuilding years. These are win-now years. And the Oilers have maybe two years to figure this out before McDavid starts looking elsewhere.

Think about that. The best player since Wayne Gretzky, wearing an Oilers jersey, and there's a very real possibility he could leave because the team around him isn't good enough. That would be a catastrophic failure by the organization.

McDavid playing through a fracture shows you everything you need to know about his character. The man would do anything to win. He's not the problem. The depth around him? The defensive structure? The goaltending? Those are the issues.

The Oilers need to get significantly better, and they need to do it fast. This isn't about incremental improvements or This is about going all-in right now while you still have the best player in the world in his prime.