Oilers' McDavid Should Be Back Sooner Than Expected

The Edmonton Oilers got some good news today as captain Connor McDavid, who had injured his ankle in the game against the Columbus Blue Jackets, was skating at practice. He only played one shift in the game against the Blue Jackets, but has now missed three full games since.

The Oilers have gone 2-1-0 in his absence and Leon Draisaitl has taken the helm, recording three goals and six points. However you look at it, the Oilers are better off with the best player in the world, McDavid, in the lineup every night.

McDavid is pretty durable, and when he has gotten injured, he has worked hard to return to action as soon as he can. The timetable for his return was initially set at 2-3 weeks, but he could return by the weekend for the Oilers' game against the Vancouver Canucks, meaning he may only miss four games in total and the worst the Oilers could go is 2-2-0.

The Oilers have had another pretty rough start to the season, but not nearly as bad as 2023-24. McDavid's injury didn't make things any easier for the Stanley Cup contender, but we all saw what incredible run the team was able to go on after the coaching change and make it to within one game of the Stanley Cup, led by McDavid.

The Oilers' captain has just three goals and 10 points in 10 games this season. Considering he has recorded at least 100 points in seven of the past eight seasons, that is a slow start for him. He sits eight points from 1000, so with his determination to come back sooner than expected, he should be flying out of the gate despite healing from an ankle injury and hit the milestone very shortly as the Oilers look to climb the standings.