It's a relatively minor injury for Connor McDavid, but fantasy teams will be without his services for at least a few games. The Oilers announced on Sunday that McDavid will be sidelined 1-2 weeks with an upper-body injury. McDavid appeared to be in discomfort late in the third period of Saturday's game and left the game shortly after. Unfortunately for Oilers fans, the injury means that McDavid should be considered doubtful for the outdoor Heritage Classic next Sunday at Commonwealth Stadium in  Edmonton.  

Although he's not the league scoring leader at the moment, McDavid has eight points in five games. That's still extremely good, but there's a dark cloud hanging over the Oilers, who have just one win in five games. Lack of depth might be an issue, as beyond the usual top power play of McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Zach Hyman, and Evan Bouchard, no Oiler has more than two points. I'm looking at you, Evander Kane, with a single assist and a minus-6 in seven games. Kane didn't hold back in explaining his situation on Saturday night.

this clip is from the first intermission, but evander kane — who played 14:04 saturday, his lowest since joining the oilers — doesn't appear to be a fan of getting dropped to the third line. pic.twitter.com/azQiPufArC

— zach (@zjlaing) October 22, 2023

That "third line" included Connor Brown and Ryan McLeod. In spite of the less-than-ideal deployment, Kane leads the Oilers with 19 hits. He is at least figuring out a way to contribute in non-scoring ways, so I wouldn't be too concerned about him in bangers leagues (currently ranked #25 in the Top 100 Roto Rankings). As for pure scoring leagues, he may need a better situation in order to turn it around. That may be harder to find at even strength with McDavid out, although McDavid's absence could also result in a promotion to the top power play for Kane.   

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Andre Burakovsky will be out much longer that McDavid. The Seattle forward is expected to miss the next 6-8 weeks with an upper-body injury. Burakovsky hadn't been immune to the Kraken's scoring woes, recording just two points (both assists) in six games. Aside from the seven-goal outburst against Carolina, the Kraken have scored one goal or fewer in five of their first six games. Burakovsky's absence likely means that Tye Kartye moves up to the third line in Burakovsky's place while Devin Shore moves into the lineup.

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With a goal on Saturday, Logan O'Connor has goals in three consecutive games. I don't think I'd put much stock into that, since O'Connor is still on a checking line, receives no power-play time, and has taken eight shots over five games (although five shots in his last two games). If he is promoted to a scoring line, then I might have more interest.

Artturi Lehkonen scored a goal and added three assists on Saturday, with three of those points coming on the man advantage. Lehkonen has bounced around a bit throughout Colorado's lineup when it comes to even-strength lines, but he's been a fixture on the Avalanche's top power play. For that reason, he should be a must-start in most fantasy leagues.

Since December of last season, Jesperi Kotkaniemi has 43 points over his last 57 games. That's a 0.75 PTS/GP pace over a full season. He's only 14 percent rostered in Yahoo leagues and seems to be on the upswing. A lot has been made of how Carolina signed him to the offer sheet and then extended him long term, but he is still only 23 years old. Not many players have played over 300 games by that young age, but he has already reached that mark. The other day I suggested he'd make continual gradual improvements, but on second thought maybe he'll make an even bigger jump than that.

The Hurricanes have been a pond hockey team so far. As of the end of Saturday's games, they led the league in both goals for (27) and goals against (30). (As of Sunday night, Detroit has passed them in goals for.) Granted, they've played six games when some other teams have played only four, but their goaltending still sticks out like a sore thumb. All three of their goalies (Frederik Andersen, Antti Raanta, Pyotr Kochetkov) have a goals-against average of above 4.00 and a save percentage of no more than .855, which is close to the Really Bad Start threshold of .850. None of the three have posted a quality start, while they have a combined five Really Bad Starts. Expect that to improve, although the Canes will REALLY have to tighten up their defense in order to be considered a legitimate Stanley Cup contender.

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That Alex DeBrincat trade might really pay off for the Red Wings. DeBrincat posted a hat trick along with an assist and a plus-4 and five shots in Detroit's 6-2 win over Calgary on Sunday. DeBrincat has already piled up a league-leading eight goals and 12 points in his first six games with the Red Wings, with linemate Dylan Larkin trailing him by just one point. Yes, he will slow down, since he's shooting at an out-of-control 42%. He's maintaining his average of just over three shots per game, so at some point he'll slow down.

THE CAT HAS A HAT TRICK! 🐱

Alex DeBrincat (@Brinksy97) nets his third goal of the game! pic.twitter.com/e2fgd0Gaui

— NHL (@NHL) October 22, 2023

On one of my teams, the Cat has provided incredible value at pick #59. But if someone offered me an elite player for him, I might take it in a heartbeat. In one-for-one deals on Yahoo, he's been traded for Larkin and for Cale Makar. The latter is a deal I would do if I wasn't already strong on D (I already have Adam Fox and Roman Josi).   

Larkin, by the way, has recorded at least one point in all six of his games this season. He has three consecutive multipoint games, including a goal and an assist on Sunday. He's shooting at a more realistic 11% rate, although has "just" three goals so far. Larkin is also in the top five in total shots (27 SOG), averaging 4.5 shots per game. This season could turn out very well for him if he continues to shoot the puck.

In Detroit's victory, Justin Holl and Lucas Raymond each provided three assists. Everyone should love Raymond on the Wings' top line with DeBrincat and Larkin – there's no better spot for him.

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Matt Poitras scored his first two NHL goals in the third period of the Bruins' 3-1 win over Anaheim. The 19-year-old Poitras was the Bruins' second-round pick in last year's draft. He had an impressive camp and made the Bruins because of the big hole they have at center. He's currently on a nine-game trial, so a decision about where he will spend the season should be made within a week's time. Sunday's game certainly helped his cause to staying in the NHL. For more on Poitras, check out his Dobber Prospects profile.

THAT'S THE FIRST NHL GOAL FOR MATTHEW POITRAS 🚨 pic.twitter.com/RMmjlRtJqY

— NHL (@NHL) October 23, 2023

Don't tell Brad Marchand he's on the decline. Marchand has points in each of his five games this season, including a pair of goals and an assist on Saturday in LA, then an empty-net goal on Sunday in Anaheim. The new Bruins captain has also taken 12 shots over his last three games. I mentioned this earlier, but I was able to draft Marchand at #82 in one league. Although he's now 35 and Patrice Bergeron has retired, I don't think Marchand will fall that far.

Jake DeBrusk was a healthy scratch on Saturday because he was late to a team meeting. This season hasn't been an easy one for DeBrusk, as he has not registered a single point in three games entering Sunday's game. He broke that slump with an assist on Poitras's second goal. DeBrusk has averaged nearly three shots per game and has played on a line with either Marchand or David Pastrnak for much of the time, so it should be a matter of time before he gets going.  

Speaking of Pastrnak, this was the first game of the season that he did not score a goal. He has taken a minimum of four shots in each of his five games, so he doesn't appear to be slowing down.

Leo Carlsson was made a healthy scratch on Sunday. The plan is to occasionally scratch him to ease him into the NHL, which might make him a risky option in single-season leagues. The Ducks were playing their second of back-to-backs on Sunday, which probably also factored in. If Carlsson plays well enough to make it impossible for the Ducks to scratch him, then he might be a must-start in fantasy leagues.

Although Trevor Zegras has yet to score a goal in five games, he has fired 12 shots over his last two games. Should be a matter of time for him.  

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By the way, it was awesome of Friedman and Marek to give Dobber a well-wish during the final minute of their latest 32 Thoughts podcast. Hopefully he is back on this day again before we know it.

32 Thoughts Friday news pod. Links to your preferred platform: https://t.co/io7Mr1QEpm Enjoy!

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) October 20, 2023

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