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Edmonton Oilers' doctors taking second look at McDavid, Draisaitl with both expected to miss time

Colton Pankiw
Colton Pankiw
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Mar 21 2025, 4:03 pm
Edmonton Oilers' doctors taking second look at McDavid, Draisaitl with both expected to miss time
Bob Frid/Imagn Images

This isn’t the news Edmonton Oilers fans were hoping for with the regular season nearing completion.

Their dynamic duo will be out of the lineup tomorrow night versus the Seattle Kraken, and perhaps even longer. Leon Draisaitl was injured during Tuesday’s game against the Utah Hockey Club and was unable to suit up last night versus the Winnipeg Jets.

Oilers captain Connor McDavid, meanwhile, was forced to leave last night’s game after taking a cross-check from Jets defenceman Josh Morrissey.

Head coach Kris Knoblauch told reporters this morning that both will be out of the lineup tomorrow night and could remain out for roughly one week.

Though there has been no confirmation on either’s specific injury, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reported this morning that both were set to have imaging done to determine the exact severity.

“Sounds like Oilers have imaging scheduled today for Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl to better understand severity of injuries and timelines to return to play,” Seravalli wrote.

Despite not having Draisaitl and losing McDavid partway through, the Oilers were able to pick up a point in what was a 4-3 loss against the Western Conference-leading Jets. They now sit two points ahead of the LA Kings for second in the Pacific Division, albeit they’ve played two more games.

nhl-standings

NHL.com

The Oilers are a banged-up bunch right now. They remain without Trent Frederic, who has yet to play since being acquired ahead of the trade deadline, and John Klingberg continues to be sidelined with an undisclosed injury that’s kept him out of the lineup since March 5.

While losing Draisaitl and McDavid for any amount of games would hurt the Oilers in their goal of remaining second in the Pacific and perhaps even surpassing the Vegas Golden Knights, they do have some room to be cautious with both, as they are well within a playoff spot.

Missing any period of games would be particularly tough for Draisaitl, who is having an MVP-calibre season with 49 goals and 101 points through 68 games. Expect a further update on the status of both later this afternoon.

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