Connor McDavid gave Mike Babcock and the Oilers a serious scare Friday after an ugly collision sent their captain hard into the net.
The sequence unfolded during practice when teammate Shakir Mukhamadullin took McDavid toward the crease and sent him crashing into the cage. McDavid went down awkwardly and immediately drew attention.
What happened next was just as unsettling. McDavid got back to his feet, but repeatedly held his arm close to his body and appeared uncomfortable while skating away from the net.
He didn't immediately leave the ice. That matters, especially after a collision that looked far worse at full speed than a routine practice battle.
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McDavid even stayed involved and later scored on a penalty shot during the session. But his body language after the initial contact was impossible to miss.
He could be seen clutching the arm several times after getting up, creating the kind of scene that can instantly change the mood around an Oilers practice.
The encouraging part is that McDavid finished the session rather than heading straight down the tunnel. There was no confirmed injury diagnosis attached to the incident.
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All eyes now turn to Connor McDavid's potential injury
Still, Edmonton won't brush aside any scare involving its captain. McDavid sits at the center of everything the Oilers want to accomplish, from their top-six attack to their power play.
That's why even a practice collision becomes a major story when McDavid needs several moments to gather himself and keeps checking an arm afterward.
Mukhamadullin clearly wasn't looking to create a problem. Practice battles happen, and players get tied up around the crease. This one simply ended with Edmonton's most important player hitting the net hard.
Babcock and his staff now have an obvious situation to monitor before the Oilers' next full session. Whether McDavid skates without restriction will tell far more than the immediate aftermath did.
For now, the biggest positive is that McDavid remained on the ice. The biggest concern is just as clear: he looked uncomfortable after a collision nobody in Edmonton wanted to see.
Until McDavid returns with no visible limitation, that practice scare will hang over the Oilers.
Should the Oilers keep Connor McDavid out of the next practice as a precaution?
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