The Edmonton Oilers could face multiple weeks without captain Connor McDavid in the lineup.
After sustaining an undisclosed lower-body injury in the opening minutes of Monday night’s 6-1 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Oilers confirmed that McDavid was on his way back to Edmonton to be evaluated. Head coach Kris Knoblauch could not reveal specifics on the injury after the game and said a call-up would be made in time for Thursday’s game in Nashville.
While no further details have been confirmed by the team, DailyFaceoff’s Frank Seravalli revealed this morning that he believes the best-case scenario is that McDavid misses a few weeks.
“The first thing I think of is the Aleksander Barkov high ankle sprain from a few weeks back,” Seravalli said. “In a best-case scenario, just based on what I’ve heard in the early going, that seems like it would be the best outcome [for McDavid].”
Connor McDavid left last nights game early with a lower-body injury. Frank Seravalli provides the latest update on his injury.
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The Barkov injury that Seravalli referenced was suffered on October 10 against the Ottawa Senators and saw him miss two weeks of action (a total of eight games) before he made his return on Monday night against the Buffalo Sabres.
If that is indeed the best-case scenario for McDavid, he would be missing a minimum of around six Oilers games. Depending on the process, that number could also grow if he needs more time to recover.
It is important, however, to take this report with a grain of salt. McDavid is currently in Edmonton undergoing various assessments to get a full picture of the injury and if it will require a longer recovery. There is always a chance it winds up not being that serious.
Regardless, McDavid’s health will remain a hot topic for the Oilers until a deadline is set in stone for his return. The team will have to play without him for at least one game, and the focus should be on getting the team in a better position in the NHL standings before he draws back in.