Edmonton Oilers' captain Connor McDavid was asked about the response to his comments on NHL player safety and how suspensions are handled. A few days ago, he was fairly vocal about not liking the process and about players being frustrated. He believed it was time to revisit the way things work. 

Head of the NHL Department of Player Safety, George Parros, stood his ground in the face of criticism.

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Following a controversial decision to only suspend Radko Gudas for five games after a knee-on-knee hit, Parros said:

“We sweat over these decisions and pore over these decisions every night, all season long. We have a process in place that’s consistent, and we have a team that works for me, and together with me, that evaluates all these plays. A very experienced team, a veteran team. Guys who have been there since the beginning of the department. Not to mention all the former players who have a large set of experiences playing NHL games and accolades. Some of the best guys who have played the game work for this department, helping make decisions. So, our process, I feel very confident in. We’ve got great guys who make these decisions, and I think the players should be confident in this team to do so.”

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman backed Parros and added that if the players wanted something different, it should have been mentioned in the recent CBA renegotiation. It wasn't. Bettman seemed to hint that it was on the players.

McDavid was asked if he was OK with Parros' comments.

"Yeah, I mean, obviously, you know, I said what I said a couple days ago. Obviously, the league disagrees, and that’s fine. But, you know, as I said, there’s obviously frustration from the players. Every single time one of these things comes up, I think everyone kind of voices that."

He added, "So the status quo doesn’t matter—nothing has to change—but, you know, I think things like this leave an opportunity to have those discussions. And obviously, if there’s a better way, there’s a better way. If there’s not, there’s not. But we’ll never know if we don’t have that conversation."

"It takes all of us to be a bit more dangerous, shoot the puck a little bit more."

Connor McDavid shares his thoughts on playing without Leon Draisaitl & the #Oilers matchup with the Panthers. @Enterprise | #LetsGoOilerspic.twitter.com/Y5ijj63wvW

— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) March 19, 2026

McDavid was also asked about Leon Draisaitl's injury and losing the team's star for the rest of the regular season. He said it was unfortunate but called it another opportunity for players to step up. Understanding what Draisaitl brings, he'll never be replaced. But, when it comes to goal scoring, maybe the Oilers can do it by committee. 

"It takes all of us to be a bit more dangerous, shoot the puck a little bit more."

The Oilers will take on the Florida Panthers Thursday night, looking for some retribution after two consecutive Stanley Cup Final losses. The Oilers have played better hockey of late and are looking to win three in a row for the second time this season. 

The Panthers are not the team they were last season, but the Oilers will need to be cautious not to take them too lightly. 

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