The Edmonton Oilers announced Tuesday that Leon Draisaitl will miss the remainder of the regular season with a lower-body injury a significant blow to a team already fighting to hold its playoff position with 14 games left.
What Happened
Draisaitl was hurt at 4:20 of the first period Sunday during Edmonton's 3-1 win over the Nashville Predators at Rogers Place. Predators forward Ozzy Wiesblatt caught him with a hit at an awkward angle near the Nashville bench. Draisaitl was slow getting back to the Oilers' bench, returned briefly for two shifts late in the first period, and never came back for the second or third.
The Oilers offered no update after the game. On Tuesday, they confirmed he's done for the regular season.
Connor McDavid addressed the hit after Sunday's game. "It's not the dirtiest check in the world, but it's just who you hit and the result of it, unfortunately," McDavid said. "If you want to hit our top guys, there's going to be a response."
What the Oilers Are Losing
Draisaitl, 30, is one of the best players in the world and was playing like it. He sits fourth in NHL scoring with 97 points 35 goals and 62 assists in just 65 games. He had been on a nine-game point streak, putting up 17 points in that stretch alone.
On the power play, the loss is equally painful. Draisaitl leads the Oilers and is tied for third in the NHL with 16 power-play goals. He has 42 power-play points on the season, second only to McDavid's 46. Coach Kris Knoblauch acknowledged Tuesday the team will need to experiment on the man advantage going forward.
"We're going to play around with it," Knoblauch said. "Right now it's just trial and error."
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins was direct about what Draisaitl's absence means. "He's a top-four scorer, one of the most elite players in the league, so it's not like one guy can just step into his shoes," Nugent-Hopkins said. "It's a collective thing everybody's going to need to pick up the slack."
What It Means for Edmonton's Playoff Chances
The timing could hardly be worse. The Oilers sit third in the Pacific Division at 33-26-9 with 14 games remaining, just four points ahead of the Los Angeles Kings currently the first team outside the playoff cut line. Losing Draisaitl for that entire stretch makes holding that position a grind.
His playoff status has not been determined. The Oilers have not specified the nature of the injury and say updates will come before the weekend. The playoffs are scheduled to begin the weekend of April 18-19.
Max Jones is expected to step into the lineup, while Vasily Podkolzin and Matthew Savoie will move up to help bridge the top-six gap.
Who Draisaitl Is
For readers less familiar Draisaitl is an Edmonton institution. The Cologne, Germany native was drafted third overall by the Oilers in 2014 and has spent his entire career in Edmonton. He won the Hart Trophy, Art Ross Trophy, and Ted Lindsay Award in 2019-20, and took the Maurice Richard Trophy last season after scoring 52 goals. He leads the entire NHL in goals since the 2018-19 season with 359.
Source: Edmonton Oilers official injury announcement via NHL.com, March 17, 2026 — nhl.com
