The Edmonton Oilers just recently welcomed Leon Draisaitl back to the lineup, but he’s now suffered a new injury.
Head coach Kris Knoblauch said the Hart Trophy frontrunner has a lower-body issue. However, it isn’t expected to keep him out long, which is promising news for the Stanley Cup-chasing Oilers.
Via Elliotte Friedman:
“EDM coach Kris Knoblauch said Leon Draisaitl is out “short-term” with a lower-body injury. Not concerned about his playoff readiness.”
Not ideal for Edmonton, which is trying to lock down the best possible spot in the Pacific Division. The Oilers are in third place with 93 points, two points behind the Los Angeles Kings and five points behind the Vegas Golden Knights in top spot. To make matters worse, Connor McDavid is still sidelined with an injury as well, although he’s expected to return before the regular season concludes.
Draisaitl is having a monster campaign. He leads the league in goals scored with 52 while also tallying 54 helpers. He appeared to suffer this latest injury during Thursday’s 3-2 victory against the San Jose Sharks. That was just his third game back after sitting out four contests before that with an unknown injury.
The German superstar is also third in the NHL in points with 106, trailing only Nikita Kucherov (TBL) and Nathan MacKinnon (COL). The latter is, of course, the reigning Hart winner. Draisaitl does seem in line to still win the award, but missing more time is helping Winnipeg Jets netminder Connor Hellebuyck gain ground in the race for MVP. The American is having a ridiculous season. He’d be the first goaltender to win the Hart since Carey Price in 2014-15.
The Oilers will turn to their supporting cast to step up with Draisaitl out again. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Zach Hyman, Evan Bouchard, and Jeff Skinner, among others, will be relied upon to produce. Edmonton has an important clash with the Kings on Saturday.
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