McDavid held out of offseason camp due to injury.

Well this is certainly a big red flag. 

According to a breaking news report from Joshua Clipperton of the Canadian Press it now appears as though McDavid's injury recovery has not progressed as well as many had expected. Clipperton is reporting that Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid will not participate in a Biosteel camp in Toronto this week, a camp that he was schedule to appear in until this very moment. Although McDavid is expected to still be on hand and will in fact speak at the event, it sounds like his injury will prevent him from hitting the ice.

Now although this news in and of itself would be enough to raise an eyebrow in concern, the fact that there were reports just days ago suggesting that McDavid would in fact be healthy and ready to go raises the level of concern considerably. Here is what Kurt Leavins of the Edmonton Journal wrote regarding the recovery of the Oilers captain just a few short days ago.

From the Edmonton Journal:

We spend so much time talking about everything but Connor McDavid. It’s one of the things that makes Edmonton fans great. They will debate you on a 7th Round draft pick and a 2nd-line Center in Norfolk. You could really count on one hand how many other franchises in the NHL are that keen. But let’s be honest: Everything that has transpired for Edmonton this off-season is second to the health of Connor McDavid. By the accounts that I hear and see, his rehabilitation from last year’s injury has gone to plan. McDavid is clearly well enough to attend the elite Biosteel camp. 

Obviously Leavins was operating on some bad information here, but I do not think that this should hurt his credibility in the least. Even Bob Stauffer, a man in the employ of the Edmonton Oilers organization, made similar comments last week.

"He’s been skating for the last several weeks," said Stauffer. "In terms of injury-wise, I’m led to believe at this stage that everything is right on target for him being up and running and ready to go here".

No doubt we will hear more about this in the coming days, but the initial reaction to this news is very unlikely to be a positive one.