Edmonton Oilers forward Connor McDavid isn’t expected to return to the lineup before the all-star break, says Sportsnet’s Mark Spector.
The Oilers have yet to announce any official timeline but the way the schedule sets up for Edmonton paints a pretty clear picture for how the club is going to approach McDavid’s return.
Spector projected Feb. 2 as a logical return date for the highly-touted Oilers forward.
“Edmonton plays Friday (night) and (then) Sunday against Florida,” Spector told Sportsnet’s Gene Principe. “Then they have 12 days until their all-star break starts (Jan. 23). Their break begins four days earlier than a lot of teams. So as we get closer to that break, bringing back Connor McDavid (and then having a week off) doesn’t make a lot of sense. I don’t think that’s going to happen.”
McDavid has not played since he suffered a broken clavicle on a collision into the boards on Nov. 3.
“It becomes a situation where you’re dealing with a broken bone. You don’t want the player to come back and get hurt and you don’t want to be the organization that makes the mistake and appears to rush their player back and get hurt.
The 2015 No. 1 overall pick scored five goals and seven assists in 13 games with Edmonton earlier this season.
He is taking part in practice with the team and is expected travel with the Oilers on their upcoming road trip.
