Draisaitl gives injury update ahead of Edmonton Oilers playoff run
The 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs begin this week, and the Edmonton Oilers may have to start without Leon Draisaitl in the lineup.
Questions have been swirling around Draisaitl’s health and potential playoff return ever since he got injured last month. Initially, it didn’t seem like it was that bad of a setback, but the team quickly came out and said he would miss the remainder of the regular season. GM Stan Bowman then injected some hope into the fanbase, saying that he could return before the playoffs even begin.
Draisaitl went to see a specialist in his native Germany and is now back skating with his Oilers teammates at practice. He did so on Monday morning and even met with the media after the skate to give another update on his condition.
It appears that missing Game 1 of the first round is on the table for Draisaitl.
“I don’t know [if I’ll be ready for Game 1 of the playoffs], we’ll see,” Draisaitl told reporters. “There are steps that I have to follow, and there are certain things that I have to be able to do, and I’m not there yet right now.
“We’ll see how that is by the end of the week or whenever Game 1 would be.”
"All in all I feel pretty good & it's just one day at a time."
Leon Draisaitl chats with the media after his first practice with the #Oilers since sustaining a lower-body injury on March 15. @Enterprise | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/loRQMMUvVt
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) April 13, 2026
Draisaitl has missed the last 12 Oilers games with this current lower-body injury, and it appears he will also be out for the team’s last two regular-season games this week. Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch also didn’t have a solid answer on when the German superstar is expected to return.
He mentioned that the team is expecting Leon back in the first round.
“Leon, as I said before, we’re expecting him sometime in round one,” Knoblauch said.
"He's been playing really well & we wanted to add some speed to our lineup… When you add a new guy there's a boost of energy… We want him to give us that."
Coach Knoblauch weighs in on Ike Howard getting a look in the #Oilers top six. @Enterprise | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/zXTubdwWAY
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) April 13, 2026
How Draisaitl’s potential absence will affect Edmonton’s playoff roster is not exactly clear. The team called up top prospect Ike Howard on Monday and will be giving him a look in the top six against the Colorado Avalanche. Whether that sticks or not remains to be seen.
Knoblauch also gave injury updates on Zach Hyman, Jason Dickinson, and Max Jones.
“Hyman is questionable for Thursday,” Knoblauch said. “Jones will be out three to four weeks. Dickinson, we can’t really have an exact timeline, but he will not be playing these next two games, and we’ll reevaluate after the regular season’s done.”
The injury bug has hit the Oilers at the most inopportune time of the season. Draisaitl and Hyman’s status seem to be unclear for the start of the playoffs, and the team may have to start without Dickinson and Jones available as well.
With the playoffs set to begin on Saturday, although Edmonton’s schedule is unknown, it does not leave a lot of time for all these players to get healthy.
All fans can do is hope for the best over the next couple of days.