The Oilers looked like they’d finally hit a good patch when injuries came knocking. Key players like Leon Draisaitl, Connor McDavid, and even goalie Stuart Skinner fell like dominoes in consecutive games. Yet, among the three players, the Oilers remained vague when it came to updates on McDavid. “We are looking at a week or maybe shorter than that for Leon. Connor will be longer than that,” Kris Knoblauch said ahead of the game against the Dallas Stars.

The Oilers head coach didn’t divulge the details even on the day their star player sustained the injury. Knoblauch said he had no updates on McDavid’s injury. Even more frustratingly, no one had any idea what exactly happened to McDavid. The center simply didn’t return in the third period against the Jets. However, a new piece of info has finally given fans a clue and a glimmer of hope.

The 2 Mutts Hockey Podcast page had some good news for McDavid fans. “The return of #LetsGoOilers Captain Connor McDavid is set for April 9th vs. the #STLBlues (St. Louis Blues) & he will travel with the team on the California trip to start in April,” they posted on X. And with this post, Oilers Nation finally got a time for their star’s return, albeit a rumored one.

That’s because the Edmonton Oilers haven’t officially confirmed any deets about the ice hockey icon. Yet, if the 2 Mutts Hockey Podcast is to be believed, then it would indicate that the 28-year-old’s injury was far more severe than it may have initially seemed. That’s because McDavid, despite wincing with pain, was skating even after Jet’s defenseman Josh Morrissey bumped him.

However, concerns arose when McDavid struggled to come off the bench, and discussed something with an Oilers staff before disappearing inside the tunnel. The rumor, however, lines up with Kris Knoblauch’s statement about Connor McDavid taking a little more time to return to the ice. After all, the Oilers can’t do the playoffs without the inaugural 4 Nations Face-Off winner.

Will Connor McDavid and Co. be injury-free before the playoffs?

While the 28-year-old’s injury was a major blow to the Oilers, it was far from the only one. Just before McDavid’s injury, fellow forward and key playmaker Leon Draisaitl suffered the same fate on March 18. The Edmonton Oilers thrashed Utah 7-1, handing the newcomers their biggest defeat yet. Unfortunately, it came at a cost, as the Oilers announced that Draisaitl sustained an injury.

Similar to Connor McDavid’s case, the team hesitated to divulge details regarding what happened to the goalscorer. Yet, hope poked through when the German NHL star returned to practice ahead of the Oilers’ clash against the Dallas Stars. That match only brought more bad news, though. With Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl on the bench, goalie Stuart Skinner suffered a massive concussion.

Mikko Rantanen slammed into Skinner’s head, knee-first, as both players went for the puck. Thankfully, at least one of the three key players returned tonight. Leon Draisaitl was part of the starting roster against the Calgary Flames and immediately made a difference. The German forward scored the winning goal in overtime in his first match back from injury.

However, this is where the good news ends. After all, the 2 Mutts Hockey Podcast post is not official news. What’s more? Reporter Elliotte Friedman made a worrying statement on Connor McDavid. “I have been warned that McDavid has blown past injury timelines before,” wrote Friedman. So there’s no guarantee he’s coming back on April 9.

Knoblauch has already said that he doesn’t expect Skinner to be traveling with the squad for the coming games. With that being said, the Oilers haven’t raised any alarm bells yet. So hopefully, all three stars will play for the Oilers in the playoffs.