“Pick up the slack”: Oilers players prepare to play without McDavid tonight

The Edmonton Oilers are not letting a potential injury to Connor McDavid get them down as they head into the final stretch of the regular season.

Though the division title is very much in sight and the team has some hard opponents left on the schedule, Edmonton feels like they are a team that can handle the best that the NHL has to offer without their captain leading the way 100% of the time.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is not thrilled about McDavid’s possible absence from games but is confident in the team’s ability to play good hockey without him.

“Goes without saying that he’s a massive part of our team… you feel the impact,” Nugent-Hopkins told reporters this morning. “We’ve built our game strong enough over the course of the season to be able to lose pieces here and there and to pick up the slack.

“The way that we play is how we are going to find success, no matter who is in the lineup. We will need some guys to step up and fill different roles but at the same time we have the confidence that we can get the job done.”

"You want to be playing these big games in the lead up the playoffs."

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins speaks after morning skate as the #Oilers host Vegas. @Enterprise | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/IaTzcoPr4S

— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) April 10, 2024

The Oilers haven’t had to play without their captain often throughout the last few seasons. Since 2020-21, McDavid has missed a combined four regular-season games, two of which came earlier this season with an upper-body injury.

In those games, the team has a record of 2-2-0. Tonight’s game against the hated Vegas Golden Knights will be a difficult one without McDavid’s leadership. Guys like Mattias Ekholm will have to take charge without their captain.

“Losing any captain in this league would be a big blow,” said Ekholm. “Honestly, it might be a good time for it… right before the playoffs for guys to get a push on their ice time, maybe get their role elevated a little bit could be a good thing for them.

“It’s obviously something we don’t wanna go through, but at the same time, there could be some positives from it.”

"It’s more about to process & how we play the game & get ready for what’s coming."

Mattias Ekholm on tonight’s matchup with the Golden Knights. @Enterprise | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/FvTDj03EoM

— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) April 10, 2024

It doesn’t sound like McDavid’s injury will be something that keeps him out of the lineup for long. Yet, with the playoffs around the corner, there is no need to push him and potentially run the risk of aggravating something further. If the Oilers want to have playoff success, they need McDavid fully healthy.

However, for the time being, it looks like the Oilers are looking at this more as an opportunity for other guys to show their worth. We’ll see if anybody rises to the occasion.