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.

“You never know what the outcome was going to be and how long,” Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said after practice in Nashville on Wednesday. “Obviously you don't want to miss him for any time, but when you think about what it could've been, yeah, I guess we're lucky that it's as short as it is."

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.

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.

"Well, absolutely the challenge is not having the best player, point producer, someone who gets one and a half, two points a game, that'll make an impact on our team," Knoblauch said. "I think it's a great opportunity for everyone to step up and play. Just as a player, it's awfully hard to get in a rhythm and a flow for those players. Now, when you're missing somebody who is playing about 22 minutes a night, there's a lot more rhythm for those third-, fourth-line guys. [They're] able to feel good about themselves and feel part of the game."

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 correspondents Robby Stanley and Craig Merz contributed to this report