Early Trading: Injury news on McDavid, Skinner, Ekholm and more

TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger joins Gino Reda to discuss the latest on the Oilers' and Jets' injuries, what the NHL has planned as the Alex Ovechkin watch heats up, the potential of Canadiens goalie prospect Jacob Fowler turning pro in the near future, and more.

What’s the latest on Connor McDavid’s injury?

Dreger: We know that he’s progressing. The Edmonton Oilers have been transparent on that front, with all of their injured players – including goaltender Stuart Skinner and defenceman Mattias Ekholm. 

Now we zero in on the captain. The progress is good, but the Oilers are being sensitive to their timeline and also very cautious in terms of making sure that he is healthy for the playoffs.

Head coach Kris Knoblauch has acknowledged that they do believe Connor McDavid will be available before the start of the postseason. I think he’s at least another week away. The expectation is that he should be able to come into the fray in the final week of the NHL regular season.

The news might be a little bit better with Skinner. I’m told that he’s feeling better, which is a good sign for the Oilers and their goaltending corps. He is also likely a week away as they observe a level of caution. 

Mattias Ekholm is basically on the same timeline as Skinner. I would expect that he’s a week away from returning to the Oilers’ blueline, maybe a little bit less than that.

UPDATE: McDavid skated with the Oilers on Tuesday afternoon.

What’s the latest on the Winnipeg Jets’ injuries?

Gabriel Vilardi Winnipeg JetsDreger: There might be a bit of a breather coming around the corner for the Winnipeg Jets. My understanding is that Neal Pionk will skate this week, but that doesn’t give them a real true sense of where he’s at. 

He’s going to have to skate a couple of times to get a better level on what his development is in that regard, so they’re not going to put a timeline on Pionk’s return. 

There are a couple of other pieces, Gabe Vilardi and Rasmus Kupari, as well. There’s no real status update there, except to say that those two players are a ways away.

Meanwhile, the Winnipeg Jets continue to rack up wins, so any adds from the injury front are going to be a welcome and needed boost.

Alex Ovechkin is five goals away from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s record with nine games to go. What are we hearing from the NHL in terms of preparations for the celebration?

Alex Ovechkin Washington CapitalsDreger: It’s right in front of them now. They’ve been talking about and planning for this from a production perspective for several weeks, if not months, once it became a reality that Alex Ovechkin was capable of breaking Wayne Gretzky’s scoring record.

What I’m told now that that NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and chief content officer Steve Mayer are likely to join an NHL entourage once Ovechkin is four goals out. 

If Ovi scores against the Boston Bruins tonight, the head office of the NHL will jump on board and undoubtedly Alex’s family and the ownership of the Washington Capitals will be part of the tour group. 

What we don’t know is the timeline of No. 99, Wayne Gretzky. He’s working on his own schedule. Undoubtedly, he will participate, but again, I’m being very specific here when I say Bettman and Mayer are expected to join the travel of the Washington Capitals when he’s four goals out. But there are also production adds that go along with this – additional cameras for all of the networks covering the Capitals. So there will be a lot more fanfare and production and some high-powered fans who are following Ovechkin’s push here, of late.

Chicago’s top prospects Oliver Moore and Sam Rinzel made their NHL debuts on Sunday and it sounds like a few recognizable NCAA players are about to do the same?

Ryan Leonard United StatesDreger: No doubt about that. I’m looking at Ryan Leonard, speaking of the Washington Capitals. Leonard is expected to make his NHL debut tonight and what an energy pop this could be for the Capitals. 

You look at Washington and think ‘Where are they going to fit this young man into the mix?’ When you’ve got a high-profile prospect like Leonard you just find a way, and that’s what the Capitals are going to do. They’ve been anticipating this all season long. They’ve created cap space for this opportunity, so there will be an injection there. 

Jimmy Snuggerud of the Minnesota Golden Gophers is joining the St. Louis Blues. As we know, he signed his entry-level contract on Friday. Similar circumstances to Leonard. The Blues are on a heater right now but they like the idea of adding the pedigree of college scoring into the mix, so expect him to play.

Then I look at Gabe Perrault, who is now property of the New York Rangers. He’ll make his NHL debut on Wednesday.

What about Habs goaltending prospect Jacob Fowler. Any word on him turning pro sooner, rather than later?

Jacob FowlerDreger: There’s a lot of buzz around Jacob Fowler but the update is a brief one. I expect Habs management, general manager Kent Hughes, to have a conversation with the group that represents Jacob Fowler. Keep in mind, if they want to throw him into the American Hockey League once he signs the contract, they need to wait for Laval. There’s no rush to do that as Laval is out west as part of their schedule. 

Something is going to happen with Fowler and the Montreal Canadiens, but they’ve got a little bit of time to work with this week.