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Oilers' Connor McDavid Tests Positive for COVID-19, Will Be Re-tested
January 4, 2022
Edmonton Oilers head coach Dave Tippett told reporters that Connor McDavid tested positive for COVID-19 and will be re-tested.
Center Derek Ryan, 35, also tested positive, per Tippett. Both missed practice Tuesday and are questionable for the team's matchup with the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday.
On the whole, McDavid has been durable for much of his career. The transcendent star played all 82 games in back-to-back seasons in 2016-17 and 2017-18 before playing 78 in 2018-19 and 64 in the shortened 2019-20 campaign.
He appeared in 56 games last season.
McDavid consistently dazzles with his combination of speed in the open ice, playmaking ability with the puck and tendency to finish opportunities with goals. He has lived up to expectations since Edmonton selected him with the No. 1 pick in the 2015 draft and posted 100 or more points in a season four times.
This season, he has 53 points on 34 assists and 19 goals in 33 games.
The Oilers do not have anyone who can replicate the production of the four-time All-Star—he also has two Hart Memorial Trophies, three Ted Lindsay Awards and three Art Ross Trophies.
For the Oilers to have a realistic chance at their first Stanley Cup since the 1989-90 season, they need McDavid back and healthy.
