Oilers fans were preparing for the worst after they had to watch captain Connor McDavid retreat to the locker room during his first shift in the game against the Columbus Blue Jackets. McDavid was trying to enter the offensive zone with the puck near the boards and was tripped by Zach Werenski. The defenseman hooked McDavid's feet with his stick and the captain fell alongside the boards. He remained on the ice for a few seconds before going back to the bench, and then the infirmary.
Watch how it all went down in the following video:
After the game, head coach Kris Knoblauch confirmed that McDavid would return to Edmonton to get evaluated. Since then, no updates have been released by the Oilers.
Frank Seravalli scared a lot of people when he said that fans could expect a recovery road similar to Aleksander Barkov's.
However, an update from Elliotte Friedman gave hope to many. According to him, the Oilers captain will miss a couple of weeks, but the worst-case scenario was avoided.
Here's what he posted on X:
In a new development, the Edmonton Oilers confirmed McDavid will miss two to three weeks with an ankle injury:
The Oilers will be under a lot of pressure to win without McDavid. It'll be a tough challenge for the team, as they're set to face the Calgary Flames, Vancouver Canucks, Vegas Golden Knights, and New Jersey Devils in the coming weeks.