The next step in Connor McDavid’s rehab has begun, as he is back on the ice and skating in Edmonton while his Oilers teammates are on the road.
McDavid began skating this week alongside injured winger Nail Yakupov, as the Oilers set out on their current four-game road trip. The two injured Oilers are working out under the eye of Oilers skating coach David Pelletier, the former Olympic gold medalist during his days as a pairs figure skater with Jamie Sale.
“Connor is not shooting yet,” confirmed agent Jeff Jackson. “The Oilers have a time line, with different milestones where he can do certain things on the ice. He’ll move towards puck handling soon. It will be up to the doctors and the therapists [when he begins to shoot pucks].”
McDavid broke his clavicle on Nov. 3 and missed his 20th game Thursday as the Oilers were shut out in Chicago. The Oilers have been careful not to provide a return date, but he is weeks ahead of their internal schedule, Sportsnet first reported in late November.
Any time after mid-January, it is expected McDavid will be practising with the team and nearing a return.
“He’ll want to come back,” Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli told Sportsnet last month. “It’ll be interesting. We’ll make the best decision for the organization and Connor.”
