Oilers force Connor McDavid to sit for the Battle of Alberta.

The Edmonton Oilers have defied the wishes of their captain and superstar forward, but it sounds like the majority of the fan base that has reacted thus far is perfectly happy with the decision the new Oilers front office has made in regards to Connor McDavid.

According to a breaking news report from Edmonton Oilers insider Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal, fans will not see Connor McDavid in action tonight when his Edmonton Oilers face off against arguably their most bitter rivals, the Calgary Flames. Although we are still very much in the middle of the National Hockey League's preseason schedule the match up between these two teams, known simply as the 'Battle of Alberta,' tends to be pretty intense and it may be for that reason that the Oilers have opted to protect McDavid from suffering any potential injury.

That of course makes perfect sense and I have little doubt that it is for this reason that fans appear to be fine with the Oilers decision here, but it sounds like not everyone was on board with the idea. Matheson is also reporting that McDavid himself actually wanted to appear in the game tonight, this after a long summer spent rehabilitating his knee following a rather serious injury late in the season, but it sounds like the Oilers have vetoed that idea. I can not rightfully blame them for making this decision as it was none other than Calgary Flames captain Mark Giordano that injured him the last time around, giving the Oilers all the more reason to want to keep McDavid off of the ice and away from Calgary's players.

It is also worth mentioning that this is not mere speculation on the part of Matheson here. The veteran Oilers reporter claims to have received his information directly from newly appointed Oilers head coach Dave Tippett, so it sounds like the Oilers are openly admitting to keeping McDavid off of the ice tonight against his wishes. Again it seems like the fans in Edmonton are perfectly happy with the organization's decision to do so.