Connor McDavid didn’t hide how he felt after Drew Helleson’s hit, calling it dangerous and saying the kind of collision that sent him into the net is one he views as especially risky. Most people seem to agree with that part. Where the debate splits is on whether the Anaheim Ducks defenseman crossed a line.
That’s the tricky part of the play: it looked ugly, but plenty of people are defending Helleson because they don’t believe he did anything egregious. He was contesting McDavid’s path to the crease, and the argument from that side is simple enough - what exactly was he supposed to do?
McDavid acknowledged that almost nobody knows what it’s like to come flying toward the net at full speed the way he does. That’s fair.
No one attacks the ice quite like McDavid. But that style brings danger with it, and when a player is barreling in that fast, the margin for error disappears in a hurry.
If he can’t stop and a defenseman steps in to do his job, the results can get ugly fast.
The real question is who carries the burden for safety in that moment. Does the attacker have to pull up? Or does the defender have to back off?
In the end, neither side is going to budge. And really, they shouldn’t.
Bryan Hayes of TSN OverDrive framed it as one of those cases where two things can be true at once. McDavid has every right to be angry about a dangerous-looking play, but Helleson also has a job to do, and that job includes protecting the front of the net and covering his defense partner. Hayes said the contact amounted to little more than a body play on McDavid when he was already in a less controlled position.
Hayes and Jeff O’Neill both said they didn’t see intent to injure. In their view, Helleson wasn’t trying to take McDavid out.
He was simply trying to deny a clear lane to the crease. The end result was messy, and the Oilers were furious once McDavid got back up and showed how unhappy he was.
“He’s embarrassing guys,” argued Hayes. That, in a nutshell, is why defenders react the way they do.
Nobody in the NHL wants to be made to look foolish, and McDavid does that to people all the time. He’s not going to slow down on his own, and if a defenseman gets even a small chance to stop him, they’re going to take it.
That’s part of the job, even if the odds of actually stopping him are slim.
After the play, McDavid made it clear he didn’t like what happened. “Yeah, obviously it’s a play that you know is, I guess, a little sensitive to me.
Those are plays that I’ve been really, really hurt on before. You know, going into the end wall, going into the net- those types of plays are, I find, dangerous.
And obviously, I didn’t love it.”
In Other News...
Oilers Get The Win They Needed But One Concern Just Grew
The Oilers got the result they needed with a 4-2 win over Vancouver, and the night had the familiar fingerprints of Connor McDavid all over it. He kept his point and assist streak rolling to 18 games, setting up goals for Mattias Ekholm and Leon Draisaitl, while Zach Hyman returned to the lineup and chipped in an assist as Edmonton continued to lean on its top-end talent to get through a tight divisional matchup.
But the bigger picture for Edmonton was not just the two points. Devon Levi was back in goal and stopped 20 of 22 shots, giving the Oilers a steadier look in net, yet the game still carried a late concern that could matter more than the standings in the short term. One of their regular forwards left with an issue after taking a puck to the face, and his status will be worth watching as the Oilers try to keep building momentum. [Read more 🡒]
Oilers Win Came With A Ryan Nugent-Hopkins Scare
The Oilers got the result they wanted in a recent win, but it came with a jolt when Ryan Nugent-Hopkins was hurt early enough to miss most of the contest. Edmonton still found enough production from its line combinations to survive the loss of one of its most trusted forwards, and the postgame read was as much about how the group adjusted as it was about the final score. Several combinations held up well, giving the coaching staff a useful snapshot of what worked when the lineup was forced to shift on the fly.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins status adds another layer to a roster that already has some moving parts, especially with the organization keeping an eye on Bakersfield as well. The Condors recent loss and the goaltending performance there are part of the broader picture, but the bigger question for Edmonton is how it manages its forward group if the injury lingers. With potential changes looming once Matt Savoie is back, the Oilers could be looking at another round of line juggling before long. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres May Have A Trade Chance With Ryan McLeod Suddenly In Limbo
Ryan McLeods place in Buffalo has become a little less certain of late, with the forward recently sitting as a healthy scratch and no longer looking like a regular fixture in the Sabres lineup. For Edmonton, that kind of uncertainty naturally invites a familiar kind of conversation, since center depth is always a topic worth revisiting and McLeods name still carries some appeal in Oil Country.
The trade angle here is still just that, an angle, with no confirmed indication that the Oilers and Sabres are actually working on anything. Even so, McLeods contract and the kind of assets it might take to pry him loose make for an interesting fit check, especially for a team that could always use another option down the middle if the opportunity ever becomes real. [Read more 🡒]