EDMONTON — Edmonton Oilers rookie forward Connor McDavid is expected to be out of action “months” with a broken left clavicle, said general manager Peter Chiarelli.
“Connor suffered a broken left clavicle,” said Chiarelli, adding he’s expected to have surgery on Wednesday. McDavid broke his collarbone in last night’s 4-2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers.
The 18-year-old forward will be out “indefinitely” after leaving Tuesday’s game against the Philadelphia Flyers.
With the Flyers leading 2-1 and 1:44 remaining in the second period, McDavid had a partial short-handed breakaway but fell awkwardly and was ridden hard into the boards by Philadelphia defencemen Michael Del Zotto and Brandon Manning, who also lost their balance on the play.
READ MORE: Connor McDavid gets injured, Twitter goes crazy
McDavid left the ice favouring his left shoulder. He was seen wearing a sling in the hallway behind the dressing room and did not return for the third period.
“He didn’t say much,” said Chiarelli. “There was an 18-year-old kid, so to speak, who was very upset after the game.”
“He loves to play the game and he won’t be playing it for a while.”
Chiarelli said the doctors have examined McDavid and have a surgical plan in place.
“They know exactly what they have to do, is what was told,” the GM said.
Still, it’s not an easy road from here. “This isn’t going to be good,” said Chiarelli. He said a broken clavicle is not better than a shoulder injury.
WATCH: Losing one of the league’s brightest stars is a huge blow for the Oilers, but both the team and its fans are trying to stay positive. Kent Morrison reports.
Chiarelli said Jordan Eberle is “very close to coming back.”
Eberle’s return and McDavid’s injury puts Edmonton in a predicament in terms of what to do with their top two lines. Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Taylor Hall have been one of the best lines since Draisaitl was called up from the AHL, combing for a 20 points in three games.
The Oilers could put Eberle into the top line with Hall and Nugent-Hopkins and move Draisaitl to the second line centre spot, but Chairelli said a decision had not been made as of Wednesday morning.
“We’re going to be moving forward. We’ve got great players… It’s just something that the guys have to step up.”
After the game, Oilers head coach Todd McLellan explained how the injury happened.
“It was a hockey play, he went to the net hard like he always does, he comes off that wing with a lot of speed.
“Three guys got tangled up in the corner. It was a hockey play,” said McLellan. “I’m not sure if he lost his balance, but it’s unfortunate.”
Manning said the collision into the boards developed quickly.
“He had a step on the outside and I turned and (Del Zotto) came across and between the two of us he went into the boards awkwardly and wasn’t able to protect himself,” he said. “I kind of pushed off on him and I don’t know if he fell, but he was sliding on his way into the boards. You could tell he couldn’t protect himself.”
Forward Taylor Hall also commented on McDavid’s injury after the game.
“It’s never good when someone doesn’t come back in the game and he’s a guy that would be out on the ice any time he could, so that doesn’t bode well,” Hall said.
“You never want to see a guy out of the lineup, especially one just starting out his career.”
Watch below: McLellan, Hall and Nugent-Hopkins speak about McDavid’s injury after the game
McDavid, the first overall selection in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, had 12 points in his first 12 games and was named the Rookie of the Month for October.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored twice and Taylor Hall had a goal and two assists as the Oilers managed a 4-2 victory over the Flyers.
Matt Hendricks also scored for the Oilers (5-8-0), who have won two of their last three.
WATCH: Oilers head coach Todd McLellan said Connor McDavid will be out ‘long-term’ after suffering an upper body injury in Tuesday night’s game against the Flyers.
With files from The Canadian Press
*NOTE: This article was originally published on Oct. 3 and was updated with details of McDavid’s injury on Oct. 4.
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