Connor McDavid's return has never been closer than it is right now.
The ultra-talented rookie, who's skating with the AHL's Bakersfield Condors while the Edmonton Oilers recess for All-Star weekend, absorbed his first "bumps" since breaking his left clavicle in November.
"I was cleared for contact right before the All-Star break," McDavid said Thursday, according to ESPN's Pierre LeBrun. "I didn't have a chance to (do) that with the guys (in Edmonton), so it's a good chance down here to take some bumps and really battle hard and test it out and see how it feels.
"I've already taken a few (bumps) down here and I feel pretty good."
McDavid didn't confirm whether he would return to the lineup when the Oilers kick off the unofficial second half of the season Feb. 2 versus the Columbus Blue Jackets, but provided no reason to believe otherwise.
"There's still a process to go through to be cleared to play and I'm going through that now," McDavid said. "Whether it's Feb. 2 or not, I'm not too sure right now, but obviously it's sometime not too long after the All-Star break."
Edmonton is once again sitting dead last in the Western Conference. But McDavid, who has missed 37 games, still thinks the Oilers' season can be salvaged.
"Yes, we're in last place, but you look at our division, the Pacific, you're never really out of it right now," he said. "Is it an ideal position? No. Is it the end of the world? No. I don't think anyone in our room and our organization feels that it's out of the question. We'll see what happens after the break."
The Oilers will play four games in six nights coming out of the All-Star break.
