EDMONTON – The Edmonton Oilers will finish the 2025-26 NHL regular season without Leon Draisaitl, a significant blow to their playoff aspirations. The team announced Tuesday that the star forward will miss the remaining games due to a lower-body injury sustained during Sunday’s 3-1 victory over the Nashville Predators. This injury casts a shadow over the Oilers’ pursuit of a postseason berth.
Draisaitl, 30, was injured after taking a hit from Nashville’s Ozzy Wiesblatt in the first period. He briefly left the game, returned for one shift, but ultimately did not return to the bench for the second period. While the hit itself appeared to be a legal one, at least three or four Oilers players immediately confronted Wiesblatt following the play, as seen in a video posted on X by Alex Daugherty.
Through 65 games this season, Draisaitl recorded 35 goals and 62 assists, ranking second on the team in all three categories behind Connor McDavid. His absence leaves a considerable void in the Oilers’ offensive lineup, particularly on the power play where he has contributed 16 goals and 26 assists.
Initial assessments of the injury were cautiously optimistic, with head coach Kris Knoblauch stating after Sunday’s game that Draisaitl had been cleared by medical staff to attempt a return. However, he ultimately didn’t feel comfortable continuing. “He got checked out, felt like he could play on it. The medical staff looked at him, and they were comfortable with him trying it out,” Knoblauch said. “He went, and he just didn’t feel quite right.”
Further evaluation revealed the severity of the injury, leading to the decision to rule him out for the remainder of the regular season. Oilers general manager Stan Bowman expressed optimism about a potential playoff return, stating, “I’m optimistic,” Bowman said to TSN’s Gino Reda. “It’s only been a couple of days here. We’ll have to see how well he responds to the treatment.” He added that the timeline provided by doctors, roughly a month, is based on typical healing times for this type of injury.
The Oilers currently hold the seventh seed in the Western Conference with 75 points in 68 games played. With 14 games remaining in the regular season, Edmonton faces a challenging path to solidify its playoff position. The team will need to rely on McDavid and other key players to step up in Draisaitl’s absence. McDavid currently leads the league with 114 points, 37 more than any other non-Draisaitl teammate.
Bowman acknowledged the difficulty of playing without Draisaitl but emphasized the need to focus on the players who are available. “We’re obviously going to miss him but we also have to focus on the players that are healthy and able to play right now,” he said.
Draisaitl’s injury comes at a critical juncture for the Oilers, who have been striving to return to the Stanley Cup Finals after reaching the championship series in the past two seasons. He was the league’s leading scorer during the 2024-25 campaign with 52 goals and won the Hart Memorial Trophy and Ted Lindsay Award in 2019-20.
The Oilers will need to navigate the remaining schedule without one of their most dynamic players. The team’s ability to overcome this adversity will be a key factor in determining their playoff fate. The doctors have set a timeline for his return, but his recovery and response to treatment will ultimately dictate whether he can rejoin the lineup for a potential playoff run.
The Oilers’ next game is scheduled for Thursday, March 26th against the Calgary Flames. It remains to be seen how the team will adjust its lineup and strategy in Draisaitl’s absence.
What do you think? Can the Oilers make a deep playoff run without Leon Draisaitl? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
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