Connor McDavid's Linemate Criticizes the Oilers for Lack of Response After the Captain's Injury

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Daniel Lucente
October 29, 2024 (1:42 PM)

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Ryan Nugent-Hopkins isn't happy with his teammates for how they responded when Connor McDavid got injured, and he feels they need to step up a lot more.

It was an early departure that proved to be a crushing blow dealt to the Edmonton Oilers as Connor McDavid left Monday's game against the Columbus Blue Jackets when the Oilers superstar went down with a lower-body injury just 37 seconds in.

Clearly out of sorts without McDavid, the Oilers fell 6-1 in a disheartening loss to Columbus at Nationwide Arena. The team quickly announced that McDavid would not return and was heading back to Edmonton for further evaluation. Immediately, fans and the organization alike were left anxiously waiting for an update.

Following Connor McDavid's early exit, the Oilers could never gain any momentum, especially out of their offense. All the Blue Jackets had to do was pounce on the vulnerable Oilers and did exactly that, as Sean Monahan opened the scoring on a powerplay just over two minutes into the game.

Columbus continued applying the pressure as Adam Fantilli and Cole Sillinger scored before the period was out. The damage had been done long before Edmonton could reply, but Mathieu Olivier, Mikael Pyyhtia, and Monahan added more goals for the Blue Jackets as Mattias Ekholm's late powerplay goal served as a mere consolation.

One of Connor McDavid's key linemates, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins spoke about his frustrations after the game. But as a leader and key veteran on the team, Nugent-Hopkins says the onus is on the Oilers to pick it up when a player of McDavid's caliber is out of the lineup. His comments speak more to the bigger issue of the team needing to take care of their stars better.

It's no secret how much the Oilers have relied on McDavid and Leon Draisaitl to take the weight offensively, and without McDavid in the lineup, those holes are exposed. It's also important that the team responds and plays more physically to send a message to the other team after one of their players gets injured, which is something the Oilers did not do last night.

"Yeah, I mean of course. he's our leader, and also the best player in the game. Of course, you're going to feel it. We got to do a better job of stepping up when a guy like that goes down, though," Hopkins told via Oilersnation's Zach.

Looking at the current standings in the Pacific Division, it's a tough start for the Oilers who sit at 4-5-1 and sixth in the division, and they're not finding consistency in its game so far. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl remain at the heart of the Oilers' offense, as both lead the team in points scored with 10 each.

An extended absence on McDavid's part would see the Edmonton Oilers face a huge setback to their playoff hopes, so they desperately need other players to pick up the slack; especially if he is going to miss significant time. The team faces the Nashville Predators next, without McDavid so it will be a little bit of an easier task at hand, as the Predators have their own issues early on this season.

The Edmonton Oilers can only hope that Connor McDavid is not badly hurt while anxiously awaiting an update. At the end of it all, the whole Oilers team needs to do a better job of protecting their stars and finding ways to perform in their absence. If the time that he spends out is an extended period, that's going to make it crucial for the other Oilers players to adapt quickly or their playoff hopes will vanish before their eyes.