Connor McDavid out of Oilers lineup for months with broken left collarbone

One day, Connor McDavid will look back on a memorable first month of his NHL career and a forgettable November, December and likely beginning to 2016.

The Edmonton Oilers rookie centresuffered a broken leftcollarbone in Tuesday night's 4-2 win over Philadelphia and will be out for months, general manager PeterChiarelli said Wednesday.

He is expected to have surgery later in the day.

"Connor is such a special player and is at such a young age thatit's disappointing," Chiarelli said at Wednesday's news conference. "We won last night. Today feels like a loss but we'll get by it. We've got a good [medical] staff here. We've got good players."

McDavidwent down with 1:44remaining in the second period, falling awkwardly as he skated around FlyersdefencemanBrent Manning and sliding into the end boards with Manning and defence partner Michael DelZotto.

McDavid, whom Chiarelli saidlost an edge, favoured his left shoulder as he skated off the ice.The 18-year-old centre was seen wearing a sling in the hallway behind the dressing room and did not return for the third period.

"The human side is there's an 18-year-old kid, so to speak, after the game that was very upset and had a significant injury to his shoulder," saidChiarelli, adding there will be plates and screws involved in the surgery."He didn't have much to say. He loves to play the game and won't be playing for a while.

"The silver lining is that he's young. He's a strong kid, mentally and physically [and] he's still developing, so he'll come back probably even stronger."

McDavid's only notable injury in three junior seasons with the Ontario Hockey League's Erie Otters was a fractured bone in his right hand in a fight withBrysonCianfroneof theMississaugaSteelheadslast season. He did not require surgery but was out for five weeks, returning to play in the world junior championship and helping Canada to a gold medal.

WithMcDavidout, Oilers head coach ToddMcLellanneeds to decide on his second-line centre for the foreseeable future. Anton Lander moved up from the fourth unit to play with Yakupov and Pouliot in the third period on Tuesday.

Leon Draisaitl, who has seven points in three games since the Oilers recalled him from the Bakersfield Condors of the American Hockey League, is an option. However, he's flourished on the top line alongside Taylor Hall and RyanNugent-Hopkins.

"We talked this morning and will continue to talk," Chiarelli said. "Leon gives us a very good option. The struggle is you take him off maybe one of the hottest lines in the league, but as he's showed in training camp and [here now] he can play both [wing and centre]."

Chiarelli added winger Jordan Eberle is "very close" to coming back after injuring his shoulder in training camp, "so he fits into the equation, too."

Chiarelli described McDavid as abright-eyed kid that comes to the rink and makes everyone's day. He also emphasized the need for the team to move forward.

"He's always happy so that'll be missed," said the GM of McDavid. "I think because he's young, a lot of the guys [think] of him as a little brother.

"You talk about how a team can rally around [a serious injury to a player] too and that's what I expect to happen here. It's important that other guys step up their game."

Nugent-HopkinssaidMcDavid, who has five goals and 12 points in 13 games, is already a big part of the team.

"It's a loss in that sense but we all just want him to know he has our support,"Nugent-Hopkinssaid.

Pressure? What pressure?

There was plenty of pressure onMcDavidentering the season to help Edmonton end its nine-year playoff drought, but he appeared up to the task.

Considered the best prospect since SidneyCrosby,McDavidwas drafted first overall this past summer following a remarkable junior career in which hewonCanadian Hockey League player of the year honours last season anddominatedthe OHL, scoring 44 goals and 120 points in 47 games.

McDavidcarried his strong play immediately to the NHL with five assists in as many pre-season contests.

On Saturday, his seven-game points streak (four goals, 11 points) came to an end.

"I just feel more confident,"McDavidsaid recently. "I know what to expect going in to a game now. You don't know what you don't know. Now I have a better sense of the tempo the physicality of the game. Just the overall comfort level is the difference."