The Edmonton Oilers announced on Tuesday that forward Leon Draisaitl sustained a lower-body injury in the first period of Sunday's game against the Nashville Predators and is expected to miss the rest of the regular season.[1][2]
Draisaitl took contact from Predators forward Ozzy Wiesblatt and did not return to the game, which the Oilers won. The regular season concludes on April 16, meaning Draisaitl will miss at least the final 14 games. The team provided no update on his playoff availability.[1][3]
Prior to Tuesday's games, Edmonton sat third in the Pacific Division, one point behind the Vegas Golden Knights and two points behind the Anaheim Ducks. The Oilers defeated the San Jose Sharks 5-3 on Tuesday, moving into second place in the division ahead of Vegas, though Edmonton has played one more game than Vegas and two more than Anaheim.[2][4]
Goals for Edmonton against San Jose were scored by Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Connor McDavid, Zach Hyman, Vasily Podkolzin and Max Jones, with Adam Henrique recording assists on the Podkolzin and Jones tallies.[3][4]
Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch said after the win: "No one's going to replace Leon. That's never going to happen. But everyone collectively needs to be a little bit better."[3]
Leon Draisaitl, 29, is a centre for the Edmonton Oilers in the National Hockey League. He won the Hart Memorial Trophy as the NHL's most valuable player for the 2019-20 season.[5][6]
The Oilers reached the Stanley Cup Final in 2024, losing to the Florida Panthers in seven games. The Pacific Division is part of the NHL's Western Conference, with the top three teams plus wild cards advancing to the playoffs beginning after the regular season.[4][5]
Sources
- Edmonton Oilers, "Leon Draisaitl Injury Update", March 17, 2026, https://www.nhl.com/oilers/
- NHL.com, "Oilers announce Draisaitl out for regular season remainder", March 17, 2026, https://www.nhl.com/
- NHL.com, "Game recap: Oilers 5, Sharks 3", March 17, 2026, https://www.nhl.com/gamecentre/
- NHL.com, "NHL Standings - Pacific Division", accessed March 18, 2026, https://www.nhl.com/standings
- NHL.com, "Leon Draisaitl player profile", accessed March 18, 2026, https://www.nhl.com/player/leon-draisaitl-8479319
- NHL.com, "Leon Draisaitl wins Hart Memorial Trophy", April 20, 2020, https://www.nhl.com/news/leon-draisaitl-wins-hart-memorial-trophy-as-nhl-mvp-319693600
