The Edmonton Oilers’ season just continues to get worse as they’ve started 1-3-1 and will now be without Connor McDavid for 1-2 weeks. He suffered an upper-body injury in the team’s loss to the Winnipeg Jets in the fifth game of the season. The Oilers’ captain missed the last few shifts of the game and overtime. He was desperately needed and is very much needed to turn the season around.
McDavid is the MVP of the league and did incredible things last season with the Oilers. He plays a ton of minutes per night and makes the Oilers’ lineup much more dangerous. He is also the most impactful fantasy player each season due to his numbers in all areas. There are some players that will be negatively impacted by this injury on the team and then some that will see more of an opportunity. Let’s dive into it.
Which Oilers Players Get a Bump From the Connor McDavid Injury
The Oilers are in a bad spot without McDavid, but they were in a far worse position the last time he missed multiple games. The player I believe will benefit the most will be Evander Kane. He is already a fairly relevant player in fantasy because of his physicality and where he plays on the Oilers. Unfortunately for him or fantasy owners who have him, he doesn’t make the cut to play on the top power play. Kane plays on the second unit, but likely not for the next 1-2 weeks.
Kane is a proven scorer despite a tough start to the 2023-24 season. While the Oilers could use more of a puck-handler or passer, they can’t overlook a shooter either. He will also be bumped back up to the top six after being demoted to the third line ahead of the team’s fifth game of the season. He could be a very impactful player over the next 5-6 games and find his form this season.
While the team as a whole will hurt without McDavid, a lot of players will get a slight bump. The captain’s injury opens up 20+ minutes a game for others to fill. It won’t go to just one player either. No one player can replace McDavid. Instead, the Oilers have to put out 11 forwards and seven defensemen for the time being due to a lack of cap space to call anyone up. This will see the top players get noticeably more time. It will also see some secondary scorers move up and get ice time here and there. I expect bigger things from Dylan Holloway, Warren Foegele, and Ryan McLeod. They have all looked good and will definitely see more ice time and opportunity.
Who is Negatively Impacted on the Oilers
It is going to be tough sledding for the Oilers, but many worse-looking lineups have won on any given night. The team as a whole is also going to be negatively impacted by this loss, especially the top power-play unit. What has without a doubt been the most dominant power play in the league over the last few seasons will lose the clear-cut league leader in power-play points. The production of Leon Draisaitl, Zach Hyman, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Evan Bouchard will likely see a drop for the time being. It is still a strong unit, but the logical way of thinking is that fewer goals will be scored.
At five-on-five, McDavid’s wingers will suffer production-wise. The team hasn’t exactly been great at even strength, but there will be lots of goals scored regardless. The Oilers had the most goals scored in the league last season. For the last couple of games, Draisaitl and Hyman/Kane were the top line wingers. Draisaitl can most definitely lead his own line. He’s done it for years now and won a Hart Trophy doing so.
As it usually goes, only a few Oilers have any significant amount of points so far this season for the Oilers. This team scores a lot of goals and there are lots of relevant fantasy hockey players on the roster. With injury comes opportunity, but also some tough times. Take advantage while you can or hold tight for McDavid’s return soon.