Connor McDavid returns to Edmonton Oilers lineup ahead of schedule

He’s been clocked numerous times as the NHL’s fastest skater, and now Connor McDavid is also in the running as the league’s fastest healer.

Back in the lineup for Wednesday’s game against the visiting Vegas Golden Knights, the Edmonton Oilers captain was well ahead of an initial prognosis of two to three weeks for an ankle injury sustained in a 6-1 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Oct. 28.

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So, what was estimated to take 21 days on the high end, didn’t even end up reaching double digits.

“Yeah, good question. I don’t know, I can only tell you how it feels,” McDavid said following morning skate at Rogers Place. “It feels really good.

“I’m not part of the media team doing the media releases.”

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Could’ve been serious

That’s not to say McDavid didn’t think it could have been serious when he suddenly found himself taking a return flight home to Edmonton and leaving his team behind on the road trip.

“I certainly did,” he said. “I felt not very good about it.

“But ultimately, sometimes it can feel bad and swell up and stuff, but it can clear up pretty quick.”

Quick enough to get back in the lineup in time for a couple of important games this week against division opponents ahead of them in the standings, with the Golden Knights in second place in the Pacific, and the Vancouver Canucks sitting third.

“Two games that I certainly wanted to be a part of, but not the deciding factor, for sure,” McDavid said. “I’d rather miss these ones in November than later in the year.

“But ultimately, I’m going to get to play and am looking forward to it.”

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In all, McDavid missed three games, watching his teammates go 2-1 in that span to sit fifth in the Pacific Division with a 6-6-1 record coming into Wednesday’s game.

“I was pretty lucky,” McDavid said. “It was not very good initially and things have turned a corner really quickly and it feels good.”

It turns out McDavid’s left ankle had been giving him some trouble prior to taking the time off to heal, which could have played a role in him going down. But he said everything’s back in working order now.

“This is something I’ve had a little bit before,” he said. “I think it’s just a tweak of an old injury, or something. I don’t know, but it feels good though.

“If I wasn’t confident, I wouldn’t be preparing to play. I’m confident with the docs’ opinions, I’m confident with listening to my body and telling me what feels good and what doesn’t. And ultimately, together we feel it’s safe to come back and play.”

History of bouncing back quickly

Aside from a rookie season that saw him miss 37 games with a fractured left clavicle, McDavid has been more fortunate than most when it comes to bouncing back from injury.

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In fact, since then he has never sat out more than seven games in a season.

That’s not to say he hasn’t been seriously hurt.

Columbus Blue Jackets’ Ivan Provorov, right, looks on as Edmonton Oilers’ Connor McDavid falls to the ice during the first period of an NHL hockey game Monday, Oct. 28, 2024, in Columbus, Ohio. Originally expected to be out two-to-three weeks, McDavid is returning after missing just three games. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Jay LaPrete Photo by Jay LaPrete /THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

The worst, of course, came in the final game of the 2018-19 season, when he blew up his knee colliding with the post in a game against the Calgary Flames. But the Oilers captain chose an intricate rehabilitation program over undergoing surgery, and returned in time for the following season.

“It’s very important to get Connor back in our lineup, playing one of the best teams right now,” said Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch. “They’re playing extremely well, scoring a lot of goals and to get your No. 1 centre back in the lineup is a huge boost for us, because we know it’s going to be a big test tonight.”

While McDavid marked his return, it’s to a top line that looks a little bit different.

Instead of Ryan Nugent-Hopkins moving back over to his usual spot at left wing, Jeff Skinner remained to flank McDavid along with Zach Hyman, while Nugent-Hopkins remains at centre, but this time on the third line.

“Ryan does a lot of things. I think he’s versatile and right now it looks like he’s going to play third-line centre,” Knoblauch said of his lineup decisions. “But first-line left wing is a place that he spends a lot of time, and will in the future.

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“But right now, I think he’s put in three games now playing centre. He’s done a really good job and it just gives us a little more balance to our lineup, especially with the team that we’re facing tonight.”

E-mail: [email protected]

On Twitter: @GerryModdejonge

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