Edmonton Oilers star center Connor McDavid will miss the next two to three weeks of the NHL season with an ankle injury, the team announced on Wednesday.
The 27-year-old Canadian was injured only seconds into Edmonton’s 6-1 loss at Columbus on Monday after he was tripped by Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski and went awkwardly into the boards.
“He’s our leader and also the best player in the game. So, of course you’re going to feel it,” Oilers forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins said. “We’ve got to do a better job of stepping up when a guy like that goes down.”
The Oilers did not say which ankle was hurt but McDavid lifted his left ankle off the ice as he skated to the team bench in the seconds after the injury.
Oilers captain McDavid has three goals and seven assists this season to share the team scoring lead for the Oilers, who are 4-5 with one drawn to start the 2024-25 campaign.
Last season, McDavid was third in the NHL with 32 goals and a career-high 100 assists over 76 games as Edmonton reached the Stanley Cup Final, where the Oilers lost to the Florida Panthers.
McDavid is a five-time winner of the Art Ross Trophy as NHL season points leader and three-time Hart Trophy winner as the NHL Most Valuable Player.
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