Edmonton Oilers fans are anxiously awaiting the status of Connor McDavid after the superstar was injured on the opening shift of tonight’s game.
It was a miserable night for the Oilers, who dropped a disheartening 6-1 decision to the Columbus Blue Jackets after losing their captain less than a minute into the game. Losing a player like McDavid, especially early in the game, is bound to have a perverse effect on the rest of the bench and it certainly showed in this one.
After the game, Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch provided a brief update on his condition, confirming that McDavid will leave the team and fly back to Edmonton.
“He’s going back to Edmonton, he’s going to get evaluated and I’ll have something later, tomorrow,” Knooblauch
Connor McDavid will NOT return tonight after suffering what is believed to be a lower body injury from this play. pic.twitter.com/runrwN0YtU
— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) October 28, 2024
This means that McDavid will miss at least one game with the Oilers as the team is set to travel to Tennessee for a game against the Nashville Predators on Thursday. Knoblauch did not commit to any timeline and didn’t rule out a return for Edmonton’s game in Calgary on Sunday.
McDavid played just 37 seconds at the start of the game before he was tripped up by Columbus defender Ivan Provorov. He got up after the play, but quickly realized something was wrong and favoured his leg. The Oilers announced that he would not return to the game and it was classified as a lower-body injury.
With McDavid out for at least a game, the Oilers will need to make a call-up. Knoblauch said that the process to find out who comes up will get underway soon.
“We will make that decision either tonight or tomorrow,” Knoblauch said.
You have to think that training camp standout Noah Philp will be near the top of the call-up options that Oilers GM Stan Bowman will consider. He got a good, long look in the preseason and was among the last cuts that the team made.
Even so, it will be next to impossible for the Oilers to replace what McDavid brings to the lineup. The specific injury has not been revealed and, while the Oilers are hoping it’s a short-term issue, there has been nothing official said about the severity of the issue.