As per Elliotte Friedman, “Good news as, thankfully, the worst-case scenario is averted with Connor McDavid. The Oilers have announced that the injury will keep him out of action for two to three weeks. Any injury news related to McDavid is bad, but if the Oilers have avoided something serious and long-term, they should thank their lucky stars.
It was first believed the McDavid injury wasn’t too serious, but when he flew home and left the team while on their current road trip, worry started to set in. After imaging to better discover the severity of the issue, it sounds like McDavid avoided the worst-case scenario.
TSN’s Frank Seravalli reported yesterday that, at best, McDavid could be out for a couple of weeks. It appears he was correct in his assessment of the awkward fall that made it appear like McDavid might have suffered a high ankle sprain.
The Oilers recalled forwards Drake Caggiula and Noah Philp from AHL Bakersfield. The other stars on the roster will have to step up, including Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Zach Hyman.
As much as it is a silver lining situation that McDavid will only be out a couple of weeks, this is still a tough pill to swallow for the Oilers. They haven’t gotten out to a great start this season and they’ll struggle without their captain and top player in the lineup. Off to a 4-5-1 start, Edmonton doesn’t want to fall too far behind and make it so they have to pull off a miracle to get into the playoffs.
Oilers Need to Up Their Scoring, Which Is Tough to Do With a McDavid Injury
The Oilers are among the best teams in the NHL for shots, offensive zone time and expected goals, but their actual shooting percentage and goals for is among the worst in the league. Something has to change and that likely starts with McDavid exploding on offense. It’s hard for him to do that if he’s on the sidelines.
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