The entirely of Oil Country is collectively holding its breath as Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid appears to have suffered an injury during Saturday night’s game against the Winnipeg Jets.
As if the season could not have gotten off to a worse start, this could be yet another major blow to the team that is already struggling.
What happened last night
During the game, McDavid got tangled up with Jets’ defender Josh Morrissey in front of the benches and landed hard on his left hip, grabbing the area as he got up and left the ice.
Later in the third, after racing up the ice into the offensive zone, he slowed down and grabbed at the same area again, indicating his discomfort.
McDavid stayed on the bench but missed the final four minutes of regulation and did not play in overtime as the Oilers fell 3–2 to the Jets.
Postgame, he was unavailable to the media as he was receiving medical attention.
Impact on the lineup
Assuming he is actually hurt and will miss time, the impact on Edmonton’s lineup will obviously be significant. There is no player who can replace his production, especially within the Oilers’ depth chart.
It would mean the Oilers run Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins as the top two centres while a winger from the bottom six gets a chance on the top lines. Someone like Dylan Holloway, who has been solid so far this season, may provide some energy and spark to that spot in the lineup.
We all have our fingers crossed that McDavid sitting out the final minutes of this game was simply precautionary and not worth the risk of playing through it so early in the season. After all, he did stay on the bench the entire time and skate around the ice during breaks in the play in an attempt to shake off the discomfort.
Photo by Curtis Comeau/Icon Sportswire
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