Connor McDavid, captain of the Edmonton Oilers, has shown his leadership and is making a statement early in the pre-season by requesting more ice time to prepare for the 2024-25 NHL regular season. According to Sportsnet’s Mark Spector, McDavid approached head coach Kris Knoblauch over the weekend and told the coach he wants to play the remainder of the Oilers’ pre-season schedule.
Initially, McDavid was not slated to play in Monday’s 3-2 shootout victory over the Vancouver Canucks. But after informing the coaching staff, he logged over 21 minutes of ice time and registered two assists. The Oilers captain is now eyeing appearances in Wednesday’s game against Seattle and Friday’s rematch with Vancouver. If McDavid suits up for all three, it’ll mark five of eight pre-season games for him.
That seems like a lot for any NHL superstar, especially given the recent injuries that have been front and center in the news during recent preseason NHL games. McDavid isn’t worried about it.
“I just wanted to get into a little bit of rhythm,” McDavid explained after Monday’s game. “It’s tough to get in a rhythm when you play one, sit out a week, and play another.”
The Oilers Understand McDavid’s Motivation and It’s Why He’s The Leader
Despite the risk of injury, new Oilers GM Stan Bowman said he wasn’t surprised by McDavid’s request. “Sometimes with top players, they want to get their game to the level that they want to be at,” Bowman said. “If anyone gets hurt, then it’s a bad outcome. But if you approach things with that mindset, then you’re always going to be just waiting ’til Game 1 to play.”
Veteran forward Corey Perry suggested that McDavid’s leadership will trickle down to the rest of the team. “Everybody knows he’s not the loudest guy in the room. But those little things, they help,” Perry said. “That’s why he’s our leader.”
McDavid wants to get off to a better start this season than last and he wants his Oilers to come out of the gate better than last season’s 2-9-1 record.
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