The Edmonton Oilers announced that centre Connor McDavid left tonight’s game vs Calgary Flames with a lower-body injury. It was feared that McDavid broke his leg, but x-rays were negative and he’ll be given an MRI in Edmonton.
X-rays on Connor McDavid's left leg came back negative. He will return home with the #Oilers tonight & have an MRI in Edmonton. pic.twitter.com/G7VJh2nbqG
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) April 7, 2019
Connor McDavid Leaves Game Early
McDavid went hard into the goal post early in the second period. The Oilers captain would need help assistance getting off the ice. Calgary defenceman Mark Giordano was trying to deny McDavid a scoring chance when the Oilers’ captain went down.
So far this season, McDavid has scored 41 goals and 75 assists for 116 points to go along with 20 minutes in penalties. His possession numbers were 50.6 percent Corsi and a relative Corsi of +3 percent. This is the second straight 40-goal season for McDavid as he also had 41 goals last season.
McDavid has spent his entire three-year career with the Oilers. The 2015 first overall pick has 128 goals and 244 assists for 372 points in 286 career games.
McDavid held his left leg for several minutes before being helped off the ice by teammate Zack Kassian and a trainer.
What This Means for the Future
With the Oilers season ending tonight, this won’t be a huge blow for them moving forward this season. McDavid was easily one of the top players on the Oilers season along with Leon Draisaitl. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins would move up to the top line to fill in for McDavid. Nugent-Hopkins has 28 goals and 39 assists for 67 points in 81 games this season. The main concern is that he couldn’t put any weight on that leg when leaving the ice.
The good news for Oiler fans would be that McDavid would have the whole off-season to recover if this turns out to be a serious injury. McDavid still has seven years left on his current contract with the Oilers and is the face of the franchise. It wouldn’t be a shock if the Oilers keep him out for the rest of the game seeing that their season ends tonight.
ANAHEIM, CA – JANUARY 25: Connor McDavid #97 of the Edmonton Oilers skates against the Anaheim Ducks at the Honda Center on January 25, 2017 in Anaheim, California. The Oilers shutout the Ducks 4-0. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
