The Edmonton Oilers will be without Connor McDavid for their next three games after the NHL suspended the superstar forward following an illegal cross-check to the head of Vancouver Canucks forward Conor Garland on Saturday.

Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl met with the media for the first time since news of McDavid's suspension broke, and the superstar gave a classic sassy comment on the state of NHL refereeing.

On Monday (Jan. 20), the NHL announced that Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid has been suspended three games for cross-checking Conor Garland of the Vancouver Canucks.

Draisaitl is expected to be a core piece for the Oilers for the foreseeable future. He signed an eight-year, $112 million contract ($14 million average annual value) starting next season and is currently in the final season of an eight-year, $68 million contract ($8.5 million AAV) signed prior to the 2017-2018 season.

How does a team replace Connor McDavid in their lineup? That’s an easy question — They don’t. With the team’s captain serving the first game of a three-game suspension for cross-checking, Edmonton Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch said it’ll take a community approach to handle playing without McDavid.

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The entire post-game interview lasted a brisk 1:16. Draisaitl may have given a more "pissy" response in the past. This was notably calm and collected despite his obvious disappointment in the game's end results. This is a statement of Draisaitl's growth and maturity. He doesn't get too high when they win, and he doesn't get too low when they lose.

For the record, Canucks defenceman Tyler Myers got the same three-game suspension for crosschecking Oilers defenceman Evan Bouchard moments later. But for as much as McDavid will be missed this week, the numbers say the Oilers still boast the top centre in the league.

As the second half of the NHL season continues, the Edmonton Oilers and Tampa Bay Lightning are coming on strong. Both teams are jockeying for position within t

Quinn Hughes scored two power-play goals and the struggling Vancouver Canucks beat the Edmonton Oilers 3-2. Danton Heinen also scored and J.T.

The first-year Cap has also recorded three or more shots in nine of his past 12 games since the holiday break, and his 8.79 shots and 19.21 attempts per 60 minutes during the stretch are well above his respective 6.05 and 17.36 marks to start the campaign.