The Edmonton Oilers are facing a worst-case scenario – a injury to superstar captain Connor McDavid; The injury occurred during Monday night’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena.

McDavid fell awkwardly while chasing a loose puck in the offensive zone, his left leg absorbing most of the impact against the boards. He left the game and the Oilers quickly announced his night was over. He returns to Edmonton for further evaluation while his teammates continue on their journey.

The game couldn’t have gone worse for the Oilers, who lost 6-1 to the Blue Jackets thanks to an exceptionally poor outing from goaltender Stuart Skinner.

One of the key members of the Oilers who will need to step up his game in McDavid’s absence is forward Ryan-Nugent Hopkins, who called the rest of his teammates for their lack of response to injury following the disappointing defeat, via X.

“Yes, I mean, of course, he is our leader and also the best player in the game,” he said. “Of course you’re going to feel it. However, we need to do a better job of stepping in when a guy like that goes down.

The Oilers, who were 24 hours removed from a 3-2 overtime victory over the Detroit Red Wings in Detroit, offered little resistance against the Blue Jackets. They will face the Nashville Predators on Thursday.

Oilers captain Connor McDavid returns to Edmonton for evaluation

THE The Oilers released a concerning update soon after the final horn against the Blue Jackets, as it was announced that McDavid would not join his teammates for the remainder of their road trip and would instead return to Edmonton for further evaluation.

The reigning Conn Smythe Trophy winner as the 2024 playoff MVP, despite being on the losing side, McDavid has three goals and seven assists in 10 games played in 2024-25.