Edmonton Oilers fans held their breath Monday as superstar captain Connor McDavid was injured just 37 seconds into his first shift against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
After slowly making his way back toward the bench, McDavid went down the tunnel to the dressing room and was soon ruled out for the remainder of the game. Meanwhile, the rest of his teammates struggled without him, losing by a 6-1 final score.
Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch hinted at lineup changes to compensate for the notable hole in the roster, via Sportsnet.
“Obviously our team is going to look different,” Knoblauch said, “but maybe that’s one, two games; I’m not sure.”
In McDavid’s absence, the Oilers have called up a pair of reinforcements from their American Hockey League affiliate Bakersfield Condors; forwards Drake Caggiula and Noah Philp are on their way up to Edmonton.
Caggiula originally signed with the Edmonton Oilers as an undrafted free agent in 2016. He scored 13 goals and added seven assists for the Oilers in the 2017-18 season before being traded to the Chicago Blackhawks. Since then, he’s played for the Arizona Coyotes, Buffalo Sabres, and Pittsburgh Penguins.
At 26, Philp has yet to make his NHL debut. Last season with the Bakersfield Condors, he tallied 19 goals and 18 assists over 70 games. This season, he has recorded two goals and one assist in six games.
The Oilers take on the Nashville Predators on Thursday from Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.
Oilers captain Connor McDavid left Monday’s game and didn’t return
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McDavid sustained an injury against the Blue Jackets while chasing a loose puck along the boards, awkwardly falling and absorbing most of the impact on his left leg.
Shortly after, the Oilers ruled him out for the remainder of the game and later announced he would miss the rest of their road trip. They also confirmed that McDavid would return to Edmonton for further evaluation, raising concerns that the injury could be significant.
