Against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Oct. 28, the Edmonton Oilers had quite a scare. Their captain and reigning Conn Smythe Trophy winner, Connor McDavid, crashed into the boards and couldn’t put much weight on his left leg—he didn’t return to the ice. Flying back to Edmonton during his team’s road trip for further testing, Oil Country was holding its breath. The expected timeline is a two or three-week recovery, with the diagnosis being an ankle injury.
#Oilers captain Connor McDavid sustained an ankle injury during Monday's game in Columbus & is expected to return to action in two to three weeks. pic.twitter.com/gSGUanCrJE
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) October 30, 2024
Much like in 2023-24, the Oilers have gotten off to a slow start this season (4-5-1; 26th in the NHL). In a strong Pacific Division where five teams have 11 or more points, making an immediate bounce back without McDavid may be difficult. It’s easy to see how a long-term injury to the best player in the world could pose a serious challenge to making the playoffs in these circumstances, but the Oilers are poised to get the three-time Hart Trophy winner back around mid-November.
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McDavid has largely remained healthy for the Oilers following a three-month injury in his rookie campaign (2015-16). Since then, he has only missed 19 games. This durability has allowed him to be one of the most accomplished hockey players in recent memory. Just 655 games into his career, he is on the cusp of 1,000 points with 992—only four players have reached this milestone in fewer than 700 contests (Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Mike Bossy, Peter Stastny). Avoiding the worst-case scenario is not only good news for the Oilers, but the NHL as a whole.
