Latest Draisaitl injury update has Edmonton Oilers fans feeling nervous
Details surrounding Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl and his injury remain somewhat of a mystery.
Draisaitl has missed nine games with what the team is calling a lower-body injury. The 30-year-old is believed to be dealing with an MCL ailment, though both he and the Oilers have remained tight-lipped on that front.
What is known is that Draisaitl, who was originally expected to be back for the start of the playoffs, if not sooner, recently travelled to Germany to visit renowned practitioner Dr. Hans-Wilhelm MĆ¼ller-Wohlfahrt.
News on that trip has also been quiet, prompting plenty of questions from the media as to when fans can expect to see Draisaitl back in the lineup. On Monday, head coach Kris Knoblauch did his best to address it.
“Leon is going to be on the ice this week,” Knoblauch said. “I don’t anticipate him playing any games in the regular season, and then playoffs, [he will return] sometime in that first round if things go well.
“I’m not ruling [Game 1] out. I would just anticipate sometime in the first [round]. There’s a period of time that we anticipated him returning, and we said it was going to be right around the end of the regular season, start of playoffs. If he gets in that first game, that’s great.”
Coach Knoblauch spoke with the media following practice today about the #Oilers battle for first in the division, injury updates, the power play & more. #Enterprise | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/MHzAtKKWLD
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) April 6, 2026
Based on Knoblauch’s comments, it seems like he and the rest of the Oilers are no longer as confident that Draisaitl will be ready to go as soon as the playoffs begin. As you would imagine, it has caused stress throughout plenty of the fan base.
I knew it & I still say they arenāt being straight up about the whole thing, when they first announced it I said something is fishy here with them being so vague, I expected then he was done for the season and this statement only enhances that sentiment! Weāre screwed
ā JNW4 (@JSchills4) April 6, 2026
The good news for the Oilers is that they have put together a 6-3-0 stretch in the nine games Draisaitl has missed. The solid stretch has them sitting first place in the Pacific Division with only five games left to go.