The Edmonton Oilers entered the 2023-24 season with serious Stanley Cup aspirations, but through five games, those aspirations have looked foolish. The Oilers have struggled right out of the game, as they have posted a 1-3-1 record through their first five contests, which is far worse than what was expected of them. Making matters even worse, it looks like their superstar center Connor McDavid is now dealing with an injury.

McDavid has been his typical superstar self to start the season, racking up two goals and six assists in five games, but he sat out the final 4:20 of regulation and all of overtime in the Oilers loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday night. That's obviously not a good sign for McDavid, and if he were to miss any time, Edmonton would be in an awful spot for however long he's out for.

“And then, potentially worse than all that, there’s the uncertain status of captain Connor McDavid, who sat on the bench for the final 4:20 of regulation and all of overtime because of what Woodcroft believed to be a muscular ailment. McDavid wasn’t made available to the media after the loss because he was getting evaluated by the Oilers training staff. Any absence by the game’s best player would range from problematic to catastrophic, especially given the Oilers’ current plight. An update on McDavid is expected by Monday.” – Daniel Nugent-Bowman, The Athletic

Would Oilers be able to overcome potential Connor McDavid absence?

Oilers, Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Alex Pietrangelo, Stanley Cup Playoffs

Losing players to injury in any sport hurts, but for the Oilers, losing McDavid could be a death sentence. McDavid is so crucial to everything Edmonton does on both sides of the ice that it's tough to overstate his impact. Consider that McDavid is only 26 years old, but he has already won the Hart Trophy three times in his career. There's nobody better than him in the NHL right now.

Any time that McDavid is forced to miss would be a massive blow to the Oilers. While they do have another superstar caliber player in Leon Draisaitl who can lead the way, Edmonton doesn't have the depth to overcome a lengthy absence from their best player. Hopefully McDavid isn't off the ice for too long, or else the Oilers could be in some real trouble here.