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Edmonton Oilers fans held their collective breath when it was revealed that Connor McDavid departed practice early on March 23. TSN’s Ryan Rishaug revealed that the superstar left the ice during the session. While the reporter claimed that he did not appear to be injured, McDavid did leave practice alongside team trainers.

After practice, Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch attempted to ease concerns regarding the world’s best player. According to RDS, the coach claimed that McDavid initially planned to take the entire day off. The star, however, instead opted to take part in the session for a little while before calling it a day. McDavid also informed reporters, including Rishaug, that he was “fine” afterwards.

Despite Edmonton’s struggles during the 2025-26 season, McDavid has been a mainstay in the lineup. In fact, he has featured in every single Oilers game on the campaign. On top of this, he currently leads all NHL forwards with an average time on ice per game of 23:04 minutes. The center is the only forward ranked inside the top 50 players in this particular category.

McDavid’s health is going to be crucial in the team’s playoff push. Edmonton is already without fellow star Leon Draisaitl after the German suffered a lower-body injury on March 15. Draisaitl is expected to miss the remainder of the regular season, but could be back during the postseason. This is, of course, assuming the Oilers reach the playoffs. The team is currently seventh in the Western Conference standings.

Connor McDavid Downplays Recent Comments About Edmonton Oilers Coaching

GettyConnor McDavid is widely regarded as the best hockey player on the planet.

On top of claiming that he is not injured, McDavid also addressed a recent controversy regarding his post-game comments on March 21. Following the defeat to the Tampa Bay Lightning, the star made multiple references to how the opponents were “perfectly coached” and “extremely well-coached.” Many NHL media members believed that the remarks were a dig at Knoblauch. McDavid recently played for Lightning head coach Jon Cooper during the Olympics.

The superstar’s comments came after Draisaitl also seemingly took shots at Knoblauch in February. McDavid, however, has attempted to downplay the incident. “We’re not taking shots,” claimed the center, as reported by Rishaug. “It’s just everybody can be better, myself included. Everybody can be better. It was more just complementary of a great team in this league that came in and played a good game. Nothing more than that.”

“Not sure how it was taken that way, it wasn’t supposed to be that way. But I understand, obviously, I understand how people could look at it that way, but it’s not what I was intending to do at all.”

McDavid’s Future with Oilers is Seemingly Precarious

While he has tried to minimize the situation, McDavid’s recent remarks only add to the speculation regarding his Edmonton future. It was recently revealed that the center may very well want to leave the Oilers this summer. McDavid only just signed a two-year, $25 million contract with the club in 2025. The deal is widely seen as a bargain for Edmonton, essentially leaving room for the club to build around him.

Nevertheless, the Oilers have not yet compiled a deep roster behind McDavid and Draisaitl. Along with needing additional help up front, Edmonton has also endured defensive issues all season long. With the trade deadline in the rearview, the club can only work with what it has for now. McDavid is going to have to power his team to the postseason and hope for a healthy Draisaitl as quickly as possible.

Christopher Moore Christopher Moore has been a Heavy.com contributor since 2025. With over a decade of experience in the industry, he has published thousands of articles reporting on multiple professional sports. He was previously a sports writer for World Soccer Talk, the Yahoo! Contributor Network, and the Maryland Sports Blog. More about Christopher Moore

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