Connor McDavid is expected to miss two-to-three weeks with an ankle injury, the Edmonton Oilers said Wednesday.
McDavid, the reigning playoff MVP who led Edmonton to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, was injured Monday night when he was tripped and went left skate first into the boards on his first shift at Columbus.
The team sent him home to get evaluated, sowing fears that it might be a long-time absence for the undisputed best player in hockey.
The Oilers were naturally going to be extra cautious with McDavid, especially so early in the season and given their aspirations to go on another long playoff run this spring. The 27-year-old star had 10 points in his first nine games before being injured.
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McDavid is a three-time Hart Trophy winner as regular-season MVP and has led the NHL in scoring five times in nine years in the league and finished first in goals once. He could miss between six and 11 games because of the injury.
