Is Edmonton Oilers star Mcdavid rushing back from injury?
Seeing Connor McDavid return to the Edmonton Oilers lineup on Wednesday night versus the St. Louis Blues came as a surprise to fans and media alike.
While it was known that the Oilers superstar was progressing well in his return from a lower-body injury, it wasn’t at all expected that he would return to the lineup on Wednesday. In fact, head coach Kris Knoblauch even ruled him out after morning skate. That all changed hours before puck drop, however.
Reports began circulating that McDavid would indeed play, and that wound up being the case. Afterward, Knoblauch said that the plan was to have him play on Friday, but the Oilers captain was adamant that he was ready to go. He certainly backed that up, registering three assists in what was a 4-3 victory.
Despite being given the green light to suit up, however, it doesn’t sound as though everybody within the Oilers organization was overly keen on him drawing in as soon as he did.
“I’m not so sure that everyone thought it was the best idea, but such is the power of Connor McDavid,” Elliotte Friedman said on the latest 32 Thoughts Podcast. “One of the things he said postgame that I thought was really interesting was that he talked about how he wasn’t taking anybody else out of the lineup. Because they played short the other night in their game against Anaheim, and they were going to have to play short again, he realized that if he went in it’s not like anybody was going to have to sit.
“I’m not convinced the Oilers all thought it was a great idea, but if McDavid says, ‘I’m going to play,’ what are they going to do? Say no?”
While it may have been somewhat of a risk on McDavid’s part, he’s always been very in tune with his health. The Oilers regime clearly trusted him to make this decision, and it appeared to be the right one. The 28-year-old now has 93 points through 64 games and has an opportunity to hit the 100-point mark for the eighth time in his illustrious career.
- You might also like:
- Edmonton Oilers getting healthier but will still be missing several regulars