Connor McDavid drops Jesperi Kotkaniemi with controversial high hit

Oilers star Connor McDavid appeared to catch Canadiens centre Jesperi Kotkaniemi with an elbow to the head on Tuesday. (Twitter/zjlaing)

Well maybe he isn’t just the clean-and-pure offensive talent that we’ve all grown to love.

In a game against the Canadiens on Tuesday night, Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid decided to unleash some of his nastiness, appearing to lay a high elbow to the head of Montreal forward Jesperi Kotkaniemi.

The entire hockey world has become accustomed to seeing McDavid highlights pop up on their Twitter feed whenever the Oilers are in action, but rarely of this ilk.

The 24-year-old chose to approach Kotkaniemi, with speed, after the puck had already been dispersed, and targeted him with high contact. Some (Oilers fans) might excuse the play as incidental as McDavid seemed to make initial contact with Kotkaniemi’s chest, but the rise of force into his head looks absolutely brutal.

Perhaps it was frustration that caused the dirty play — the Oilers ended up losing 4-0 to the Canadiens — or just careless aggression, but this is a pretty greasy one no matter how you look at it.

There has been no official announcement yet on whether or not McDavid will receive a call from the NHL’s Department of Player Safety.

Kotkaniemi scored Montreal’s first goal on Tuesday, while McDavid was held pointless in the shutout loss. The Oilers are third and the Canadiens fourth in the North Division as we sit within two weeks of trade deadline day.

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