Draisaitl needs to be 'at his absolute best' while McDavid is out of Oilers lineup

Edmonton Oilers centre Leon Draisaitl celebrates his goal against the Seattle Kraken during preseason NHL action on Oct. 2, 2024, in Seattle. (Lindsey Wasson/Associated Press)

The world's best hockey player and star captain of the Edmonton Oilers appears to be out of action for at least one game, but it could be for longer.

Connor McDavid went into the boards left skate first Monday night in Columbus after he was tripped up by Blue Jackets defenceman Ivan Provorov on McDavid's first shift of the game.

The Oilers star got up and carefully left the ice on his own.

The National Hockey League team announced during the first period McDavid would miss the rest of the game because of a lower-body injury.

Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch told media after the eventual 6-1 loss to the Blue Jackets that McDavid would return to Edmonton for evaluation. The Oilers are slated to play the third of a four-game road trip on Thursday in Nashville against the Predators.

McDavid flew with the team after the game to Nashville on Monday night before he took a charter to Edmonton.

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TSN NHL reporter Chris Johnston said Tuesday morning news of McDavid's injury probably won't come until Wednesday.

"I would expect an extreme amount of caution to be taken with his recovery," Johnston told host Gino Reda on a segment of Insider Trading on TSN's That's Hockey. 

"We know he won't play Thursday, certainly when Edmonton is in Nashville, but you it wouldn't surprise me to see the layoff be longer than that, even if the injury itself isn't that severe, just because they're going to want to err on the side of caution."

Edmonton-based TSN reporter Ryan Rishaug, while hosting a post-game episode of the Got Yer Back podcast on Monday night with former NHL players Jason Strudwick and Rob Brown, said while "early word" was McDavid's injury "was not too serious," that No. 97 was travelling back to Edmonton right away is notable. 

Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid during NHL action against the Nashville Predators on Oct. 17, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (George Walker IV/Associated Press)"I don't have any more detail, but I think we know when we hear about an injury that happens, and we hear that it's serious, that means a certain thing," Rishaug said.

"When we hear not too serious, it's not quite as bad. With that said, he's on his way home, most likely missing at least one game, so we're not going to necessarily try to play doctor here."

Strudwick said while McDavid's spill into the boards "wasn't a violent collision," they "sometimes scare" him.

"I feel he may have tweaked something," Strudwick said. "Did he maybe sprain something, some joint in his leg?"

Brown, too, said he is wary of dismissing the injury as something simple or short-term.

"When they announced quickly that he wasn't coming back, I'm like, 'OK, that's odd that they're making that call,' and then after the game, when Knoblauch says he's going back to Edmonton for evaluation, the concern went a little bit higher," Brown said.

"I don't think (the injury will be) anything long term, but it's concerning enough that they're talking about missing games. When this injury just happened, it didn't look like much, and there's the evaluation that happened (at the game.) There are trainers and doctors around there, yet they're already talking about missing games."

From left, Edmonton Oilers centre Leon Draisaitl celebrates with wingers Vasily Podkolzin and Connor Brown after scoring the winning goal in overtime against the host Detroit Red Wings on Oct. 27, 2024. The Oilers won 3-2. (Duane Burleson/Associated Press)

Lineup shuffling

With McDavid out of action, Strudwick and Brown agreed giving a line of Leon Draisaitl at centre with Jeff Skinner and Viktor Arvidsson top minutes would make the most sense. The trio has been used off and on as a forward line since pre-season.

They said while all players will have to be at their best while McDavid is out of the lineup, Brown said Draisaitl in particular will have to stand out as most Oilers forwards are struggling to score.

The 29-year-old Draisaitl, with six goals and four assists, is the Oilers' co-leader in team scoring with 10 points along with McDavid (three goals, seven assists.)

"When you just look at the rest of the lineup right now, guys that have been in your top six, they've got three guys (Arvidsson, Zach Hyman and Vasily Podkolzin) that have zero goals on the season," Brown said.

"They've only got one (forward) outside of Leon that'll play on Thursday ... (who) has two goals on the year, and that is Skinner. No other forward has two goals, so (Draisaitl) has to be at his absolute best because there are a lot of players right now that have been underachieving 10 games into the season."

A second line of Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Adam Henrique and Zach Hyman could make up the second forward unit, they said.

In 10 games played, Skinner has scored two goals and two assists for four points.

Johnston suggested Nugent-Hopkins could "get a longer run at centre" while McDavid is out.

Edmonton Oilers forward Jeff Skinner celebrates his goal with teammates during NHL action against the Nashville Predators on Oct. 17, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (George Walker IV/Associated Press)

Give Skinner key power-play role

They also agreed Skinner should take over McDavid's puck-transportation role on the power play.

"I know that they have been using Arvidsson (on the second unit), but to me, Arvidsson had a really good one game offensively, but that's the only game he's got points in the whole season," Brown said. "There have been games where Skinner has been the best player for the Oilers."

Strudwick said he wants Skinner shooting.

"I'd tell him, 'Shoot the puck,'" he said. "Shoot it because he and Hyman are kind of the same guy. They go to the front of the net more. That's why I'd want them."

Pair called up from Bakersfield

The Oilers called up forwards Drake Caggiula and Noah Philp from their American Hockey League affiliate on Tuesday afternoon.

Caggiula has two goals and three assists for five points in five games played for the Bakersfield Condors this season. The 30-year-old forward, who started his NHL career with the Oilers in 2016, last saw action in the big leagues in 2022-23 with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The 26-year-old Philp has two goals and an assist in six games for the Condors. The 26-year-old Oilers prospect who took last season off from pro hockey lasted late into NHL training camp this year before being assigned to the AHL.