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Leon Draisaitl is taking a temporary leave of absence from Edmonton Oilers

Colton Pankiw
Colton Pankiw
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Jan 17 2026, 7:57 pm
Leon Draisaitl is taking a temporary leave of absence from Edmonton Oilers
Sam Navarro/Imagn Images

The Edmonton Oilers are going to be without forward Leon Draisaitl for the next few games.

The Oilers released a brief statement today letting fans know that the 30-year-old is returning home to Germany to deal with a family matter.

“Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl will be taking a brief leave of absence to attend to a family illness in Germany,” the statement reads. “He is expected to return to the team later next week.

“On behalf of Leon, the club asks for privacy at this time.”

This means that, at the very least, the Oilers will be without Draisaitl on Saturday evening versus the Vancouver Canucks, as well as Sunday’s outing versus the St. Louis Blues. They also have games on Tuesday and Thursday versus the New Jersey Devils and the Pittsburgh Penguins. It’s unclear if he will be back in time for either outing.

Without Draisaitl for at least the next two games, the Oilers dawned some new lines at morning skate ahead of their outing against the Canucks.

Vasily Podkolzin, Draisaitl’s regular linemate, will slide up and play on the first line alongside Connor McDavid and Zach Hyman. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins will centre the second line featuring Trent Frederic and Kasperi Kapanen.

The Oilers, who are in a battle for first place in the Pacific Division, will hope to have Draisaitl back in the very near future. The German superstar is having another fantastic season with 25 goals and 67 points through 48 games.

The Oilers have struggled a bit as of late, going 4-4-2 over their last 10. Saturday’s outing against the NHL-worst Canucks, followed by a game against the 27th-placed Blues, could prove to be what they need to get things going in the right direction once again.

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