McDavid expected to miss 2-3 weeks with ankle injury

Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid is expected to miss two-to-three weeks with an ankle injury, the team announced Wednesday.

McDavid was hurt when he took an awkward fall during his first shift of the Oilers' 6-1 trouncing by the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday night.

Video of McDavid injury from tonight. Oilers have said he will not return pic.twitter.com/QjPUPMZyR6

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) October 28, 2024

The superstar has logged three goals and 10 points in 10 outings so far this season.

McDavid missed six games during the 2023-24 campaign and the Oilers didn't fare too well without him, going 1-4-1. He sat out two outings before Edmonton was sparked by a coaching change in November and four contests during the final month of the season.

Here's how Edmonton's offense has been impacted in 19 games without McDavid dating back to 2016-17, according to Sportlogiq:

With/Without Games G/GP xG/GP OZ time/GP PP% With 610 3.26 3.26 7:09 25.2 Without 19 2.32 2.82 6:37 18.2

The Oilers are off to another challenging start this year, going 4-5-1 after dropping their first three games. Big names are going through scoring droughts: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has one goal and four points, while last year's 54-goal-scorer Zach Hyman has just one assist.

Edmonton came one win short of hoisting the Stanley Cup this past spring and entered this season with championship aspirations, and McDavid is key to those hopes.

Last season, McDavid became the fourth player in league history to log 100 helpers in a single campaign. He then became the sixth player and second skater to win the Conn Smythe Trophy as a member of the losing side.

The 27-year-old already ranks 10th among all active players with 992 points and eighth with 654 assists in 655 career NHL games.

The Oilers take on the Nashville Predators and Calgary Flames on the road Thursday and Sunday before returning home for a clash with the New Jersey Devils on Monday.

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