Connor McDavid ahead of schedule, could return in January

Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid is rehabbing quickly from his broken clavicle and could be back in the lineup as soon as mid to late January.

The Edmonton Oilers have dearly missed their star rookie center Connor McDavid. The Oilers have just five points in the ten games that they have played since McDavid broke his clavicle against the Philadelphia Flyers. They currently have the worst record in the NHL at 7-14-1.

There is some light at the end of the dark tunnel for Oilers fans. Connor McDavid is rehabbing well and is ahead of schedule. He could return to the lineup as soon as mid to late January.

“He’s ahead of schedule,” Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli said, via Sportsnet. “He’s been in the pool, been lifting weights… There are no soft tissue injuries, which is important. When you get a break like that, oftentimes there is accompanying soft tissue injuries. That slows down the recovery. I can tell you that when it comes time [to start discussing his return], he is going to want to come back a lot earlier than what we forecast internally.”

“He’s like a thoroughbred. You can’t keep him in the barn,” his agent Jackson said, via Sportsnet. “Last year he broke his hand. The first day after he got the cast off he was on the ice shooting. Looked like he hadn’t missed a beat. He went right into the World Junior camp.”

The Oilers need all the help that they can get to avoid having the worst record in the NHL. They recently lost forward Nail Yakupov for at least a few weeks.

Before Connor McDavid got injured, he was the favorite to win the Calder with five goals and 12 points in his first 12 games in the NHL. The first overall pick of the 2015 NHL Draft is going to have to stay healthy if the Oilers want to return to respectability.