McDavid out 2-3 weeks for Oilers with ankle injury

Connor McDavid will be out 2-3 weeks for the Edmonton Oilers because of an ankle injury.

The center started a 6-1 loss at the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday and won the opening face-off, but his only shift lasted just 37 seconds after he was tripped by Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski while trying to enter the offensive zone and went awkwardly into the right boards.

"He's our leader and also the best player in the game. So, of course you're going to feel it," Oilers forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins said after the game. "We've got to do a better job of stepping up when a guy like that goes down."

After the game, coach Kris Knoblauch said McDavid would be returning to Edmonton for further evaluation.

The Oilers (4-5-1) have two games remaining on their road trip, at the Nashville Predators on Thursday and the Calgary Flames on Sunday. Their next home game is against the New Jersey Devils on Monday.

"It's tough any time you are playing without your best player, but it's something that's hopefully short term," Knoblauch said. "Obviously, our team is going to look different. Maybe that's one, two games."

On Tuesday, forwards Drake Caggiula and Noah Philp were recalled from Bakersfield of the American Hockey League. Caggiula has five points (two goals, three assists) in five AHL games and has played 282 NHL games, but none since 2022-23 with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He played his first three NHL seasons with Edmonton from 2016-19. Philp has three points (two goals, one assist) in six AHL games; the 26-year-old has yet to make his NHL debut.

McDavid is tied with Leon Draisaitl for the Oilers lead with 10 points (three goals, seven assists) in 10 games this season. He was third in the NHL last season with 132 points (32 goals, 100 assists) in 76 games.

"It's your captain, your best player. It should be an opportunity for guys to step up and say, 'Oh, I've got this,'" Knoblauch said. "It's more ice time, more opportunities."

Last season, McDavid missed two games with an upper-body injury in October and three games with a lower-body injury in April. He also was a healthy scratch for the final game of the regular season.

"There was nothing intentional at all. It's a non-issue," Werenski said Tuesday. "I was just reaching for the puck and might have nicked him. ... It [stinks]. He's the best player in the world. You want him on the ice."

NHL.com independent correspondent Craig Merz contributed to this report