McDavid plays the game at a faster speed then anyone else. His puck handling and skating is at a tier higher then the entire league.
Crosby thinks the game faster then any other player in the league, and sees the game slower.
For me without a doubt Crosby is the better player. Doesnt mean McDavid wont/cant surpass him.
I think McDavid has a very likely chance of having a more impressive individual award trophy case by the time he hangs them up compared to Crosby.
Partially due to his own significant amount of skill, but also due to hopefully staying healthier, likely being the main focus of his team and thus having the pick of the best linemates (unlike with Pit who's competitive advantage was avoiding stacking one line due to the luxury of having both Crosby and Malkin), and most importantly there seemingly not being a prime Ovechkin (or Malkin for that matter) to this generation's Crosby (McDavid) point production wise.
Even though the Matthews', Eichel's, Laine's, etc. are very good in their own right, they don't yet seem to hint that they have the type of skillset that will allow them to keep up with McDavid's Art Ross potential, so he might simply win more scoring titles than say Crosby did simply because his competition isn't as near him as it was in the days of the big 3. Of course that's yet to be determined and the other future superstars could evolve their game more, but thus far McDavid appears to be in a league of his own going forward regarding future scoring title races.
Does that mean he will be a better player comparatively when it's all said and done? It's certainly possible.
The one aspect of the Crosby/McDavid comparison I'm most intrigued by is how McDavid's speed advantage lasts as he ages.
People might forget Crosby used to be far more aggressive in puck pursuit when he was younger, he was as reckless as can be in his first couple years, watch some of his early highlights, the difference compared to now is pretty noticeable. After all his injuries, especially the high ankle sprain, he had to somewhat reinvent his style to protect himself better as well as simply deal with the natural decline of abilities due to aging. He's not as fast today as he was then, not as aggressive, but his superiority in the corners and on the cycle is primarily where he does most of his damage, and that aspect of his game shouldn't diminish too much as he ages further as long as he keeps in the kind of top physical shape that he's known to keep himself in. Because of which he might be capable of maintaining his current standard of play into his mid 30s. It'll depend on how healthy he can remain going forward, but his style at least is plenty capable of remaining effective in today's game for a good deal longer.
Compare that to McDavid who's just as seemingly generational in his playmaking abilities as Crosby was/is, vision, etc., but has that unique advantage of overwhelming speed, and I wonder how long that will last for him going forward. Will modern physical training allow him to maintain his current level of speed over the next decade? Possible, but if he does for whatever reason, be it age or injury, lose that significant speed advantage over the rest of the league, will he too adapt his game to remain as effective production wise going forward? I believe he's capable, but it will be interesting to follow as he grows.
How their careers continue to compare to one another going forward should be entertaining to follow to say the least.