Connor McDavid is ready to move past his three-game suspension, even if he doesn’t totally agree with it.
“It was a little harsh, but I understand their decision,” the Oilers superstar said Wednesday, breaking his silence about the punishment he received for cross-checking Vancouver’s Conor Garland last week.
The three-time NHL MVP wants his team to “move on” from the incident, which happened during Edmonton’s 3-2 loss to the Canucks on January 18.
But the Oilers organization isn’t quite there yet. Just Tuesday, they released a statement backing their captain and expressing frustration with the league’s decision.
The timing couldn’t be worse for Edmonton. They’ve already dropped their first game without McDavid, falling 3-2 to the Washington Capitals.
Now they’re heading into another matchup with those same Canucks on Thursday. It’s their last regular-season meeting, with the teams splitting their previous two games.
McDavid’s importance to the Oilers can’t be overstated. The 2015 first overall pick has been their captain since 2016, and he’s putting up incredible numbers again this season with 65 points, including a team-leading 45 assists.
Last season, he did something pretty amazing – becoming just the fifth player in NHL history to rack up 100 assists in a single season.
The Oilers are right in the thick of the Pacific Division race, sitting just one point behind the Vegas Golden Knights for first place. They’re looking to win their first Stanley Cup since 1990, and they came close last year, pushing Florida to seven games in an epic final series after being down 3-0.
Three games without their superstar captain will be tough. But as McDavid seems to understand, dwelling on the suspension won’t help them achieve their ultimate goal.
