Connor McDavid makes honest admission on Edmonton Oilers’ performance during his 3-game suspension absence

By Jackson Weber

Modified Jan 27, 2025 19:39 GMT

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Connor McDavid has served his three-game suspension for cross-checking Conor Garland in the head on Jan. 18. After plenty of debate and complaints that the punishment for McDavid was too steep, the Oilers captain is back and ready to roll.

The Oilers looked impressive, going 2-1-0 without their captain. His return comes at a critical point in the season as the Oilers' recent play has them just one point behind the Vegas Golden Knights (66 points) for the Pacific Division lead.

McDavid spoke to the media today and was asked how Leon Draisaitl and the other Oilers played in his absence.

(2:07) "He played great," McDavid said. "The whole team played great. I don't think that's surprising. Everyone loves to talk about how the team plays when I'm not there, but the team plays well. They're there. We're a good team no matter who's in the lineup."

McDavid and the Oilers have six games remaining before the Four Nations Face-Off tournament that begins on Feb. 12. Four of those six games come against teams outside of the playoffs, so Edmonton will look to finish off a great few months of play before the break.

Connor McDavid remains in the race for the Art Ross Trophy

Despite missing three games due to injury and three games to suspension this season, Connor McDavid is still in the thick of the hunt for the Art Ross Trophy.

McDavid is fifth in the NHL in points with 65 (20 goals, 45 assists) in 43 games, 12 points behind the league leader Nathan MacKinnon (77 points). However, the Oilers captain is second in the league in points-per-game at 1.512, behind only Nikita Kucherov's 1.587.

Fans will expect the best player in the world to be shot out of a cannon upon his return from suspension.

McDavid's first game back comes on Monday night as the Oilers host the Seattle Kraken. The puck drops at 9:30 p.m. ET at Rogers Place.