Connor McDavid
Brian Bradshaw Sevald-Imagn Images
Regardless of what is learned over the next 24 hours, the Edmonton Oilers will have a tough decision to make regarding Connor McDavid’s injury.
It’s too soon to know how severe the foot issue is after he fell awkwardly on Monday against the Columbus Blue Jackets. To get more information, McDavid travelled back to Edmonton to get imaging done. He’ll be formulating a plan with his people and the Oilers’ medical team. In the meantime, the Oilers called up Drake Caggiula and Noah Philp from AHL Bakersfield.
It’s possible McDavid may only be sidelined for Thursday’s game against the Nashville Predators. However, things could be worse than originally feared if McDavid is out for a few weeks.
NEW: Oilers Reveal Connor McDavid Injury Update
Captain Connor will miss one game in the very least. @TheHockeyNews @EdmontonOilers#LetsGoOilers
https://t.co/AN256rIwkz
— Caleb Kerney (@CKerneyWriter) October 29, 2024
Regardless, the Oilers have some decisions to make about his recovery. Whether he’s medically cleared right away or not, the team might want to keep him out a little longer just to be sure.
It’s a difficult spot to be in. The NHL’s best player missing games will put significant stress on the rest of the roster to step up. Add that to the Oilers’ poor start, and it’s a lot to ask of players who have, to date, struggled offensively.
The defense is also facing major issues to the point that a report from TSN’s Darren Dreger suggests GM Stan Bowman is “aggressively” scouring the trade market for a top-four blueliner.
Can the Oilers afford to keep McDavid out, knowing the team is having trouble maintaining pace with the NHL’s top teams?
It feels like deja vu, in a way. McDavid suffered an upper-body injury last October that kept him out for a week. He was expected to miss the Heritage Classic against the Calgary Flames on Oct. 29, 2023, but he returned earlier than expected. That said, he recorded two assists in his first six games after returning before picking up the pace.
Rushing McDavid back, even if he seems ready, is risky. McDavid will want to help his team get out of this early jam, but further injury would be a huge disappointment. The hope from an organizational standpoint is that the rest of the team can pick up the slack to give their star player extra time to rest up and return at 100 percent.
It might mean a bigger hole than the Oilers are already in, but so be it.
Related: Handling Zach Hyman’s Inevitable Drop-Off with the Oilers
The Oilers Can’t Rush Any Decision
Whether it’s bringing McDavid back early or making a trade to try and find extra ammunition, the Oilers have to resist the temptation to make a panic move just because they’re not in a playoff spot right now. It would be easy to jump the gun and add a defenseman or another forward, but doing so opens up an entirely different can of worms.
Salary cap concerns, giving up assets and finding the right fit all require decisions that can’t be made hastily. Not to mention, the rest of the league now knows the Oilers might be nervous. Bowman can’t operate from a position of weakness.
The best bet is to play it safe, wait this McDavid situation out and do what the team can internally to limit the damage. From there, be confident that whatever hole gets dug while McDavid is away won’t be too deep. Edmonton was able to make a miraculous comeback last season. They can do it again should they have to.
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