For sure.
You know what's interesting, intellectually about the McDavid and Lemieux comparison I just made. It's made me think a little more on the topic.
It makes me think of international hockey. Specifically, it was when Lemieux played with Gretzky in the 1987 Canada Cup. If you look at Lemieux's stats before the 1987 Canada (i.e. everything up to the 1986-87 season), and afterwards you see an explosion in his offensive statistics (also later adding an elite puck mover in Paul Coffey helped as he began as a Penguin in 1987, as did the later addition of Jagr) its an interesting difference.
I mention this, because Lemieux hadn't tasted any real team success professionally before this, but as we all know he played a starring role with Gretzky and Co. winning the 1987 Canada Cup in some of the games ever played against the Soviets.
With the 2022 Olympics in China coming, I think a big international performance in a best-on-best will help. 2018 Olympics were already taken from this opportunity for McDavid. He already has international Golds including: U-18 WJC Gold, U-20 WJC Gold, IIHF Men's WHC Gold. A big presence in a best-on-best should help. As will being in that environment with guys like Bergeron, Crosby, Price, etc. to internationally pass the torch to guys like him, MacKinnon, and Scheifele.
It's very interesting parallels and motifs with the big international experience coming up for McDavid and how it really shaped Lemieux afterwards as well following 1987 onwards.