The Edmonton Oilers are going to be without two of their best players for at least a week. News emerged on Friday afternoon that both Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are out for at least a week according to reports. Kris Knoblauch gave an update to the media regarding on both Edmonton Oilers injuries.
Edmonton Oilers Injuries Mounting
This is unheard of seeing both superstars out at the same time. Injuries have happened to both players, but never at the same time. Knoblauch initially said McDavid would be out day-to-day. However, he changed it to more like a week.
McDavid left Thursday night’s game against the Winnipeg Jets with an injury. The Oilers captain looked like he tweaked something in his groin or in his core. McDavid missed the last shift of the second period and did not return.
Draisaitl seemed like he got injured after getting entangled in a game against the Utah Hockey Club. However, the German still managed to rack up nearly 22:30 minutes of playing time in the 7-1 victory. He was held out of the Oilers’ overtime loss to the Jets on Thursday.
What It Means
Both players are pivotal cogs in the Oilers’ vaunted offence. The team has played without one of them at times, but never without both. Edmonton will be limited in their forward ranks. This means there won’t be any call-ups from AHL Bakersfield. Knoblauch will have to give more minutes to players like Adam Henrique in the meantime.
There is some encouraging news as Stuart Skinner exited concussion protocol. He was pulled after a collision with Winnipeg forward Gabriel Vilardi. There is other good news in seeing Evander Kane skate for the second day. However, he’s a long way out from returning to the lineup.
It’s going to be a hard stretch for Edmonton seeing both players out of the lineup. The team will have to tread water until then while dealing with these Edmonton Oilers injuries.
Main photo by: James Guillory-Imagn Images
