Edmonton Oilers star Draisaitl visits unorthodox German doctor in Munich
Leon Draisaitl isn’t in the Edmonton Oilers lineup because of an injury, but he’s not where fans may expect him to be.
The superstar centre exited the lineup on March 15, due to what the team called a “lower-body injury.”
However, on Saturday, Draisaitl was spotted in Germany at Bayern Munich’s match against Union Berlin.
.@draisaitl_leon visited the #FCBayern game in Munich tonight. He was also in the locker room and talked to the Bayern players. He said: "It was very cool even without @esmuellert_!" #Oilers #Letsgooilers @EdmontonOilers @tonline pic.twitter.com/x27R7tzOE3
— Julian Buhl (@julianbuhl) March 21, 2026
Bayern won the contest 4-0.
The fact that he was so far away from Edmonton, just days after the team commented on his injury, may have raised some eyebrows.
But Draisaitl shed some insight on why he was in Germany during an appearance on Sky Sports.
The 30-year-old explained to reporter Michael Leopold that he was in Munich to visit with renowned German practitioner, Dr. Hans-Wilhelm Müller-Wohlfahrt.
Now with more subtitles. https://t.co/Vdz2vlhjvr pic.twitter.com/ZiDoFRyqbz
— Kevin McCurdy (@KevinMcCurdy) March 21, 2026
He was also asked about his timeline to return from injury, and whether he would suit up for the Oilers in the playoffs.
“That’s the plan,” he said in an interview translated from German. “It’ll certainly take a few weeks, but I hope we can keep playing long enough for me to be able to step in and help out at some point.”
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman also reported on Saturday that he hasn’t heard anything different about Draisaitl’s injury timeline, which is expected to keep him out until the end of the regular season.
Draisaitl also added that he’ll be in Munich until Tuesday.
So, can Dr. Müller-Wohlfahrt provide the elixir that Draisaitl and the Oilers need?
The famous doctor has worked on athletes across many different sports, with his patient list including sprinter Usain Bolt and NFL running back Christian McCaffrey. Dr. Müller-Wohlfahrt also treated Auston Matthews towards the beginning of the 2024-25 season, as he dealt with an upper-body injury.
There is some controversy surrounding the 83-year-old. Dr. Müller-Wohlfahrt has been known to use more of a “hands-on approach,” even if there is minimal research backing his claims.
He’s also been a big proponent of the controversial biological cocktail, Actovegin, which is a deproteinized extract obtained from calf blood. The drug is not approved for use in Canada or the United States. However, it is not currently on the list of banned NHL substances.
Dr. Müller-Wohlfahrt previously stated that he used the drug in nearly every injection he’s given.
“I am convinced this is one of the best medicines on earth,” he said in an interview with ESPN back in 2011.
Despite some controversy surrounding his practices, Dr. Müller-Wohlfahrt has long been considered one of Germany’s most famous doctors. He’s been working on athletes since the 1970s, with one early-2000s documentary profiling him as ‘The Famous Doctor Saving Sporting Stars’ Careers.’
While there’s no indication that Draisaitl’s career needs saving, they’ll probably need him if they truly want to compete for the Stanley Cup in 2026.
The Oilers won their first game in Draisaitl’s absence, defeating the San Jose Sharks 5-3. They proceeded to lay an egg on home ice in their second game without him, losing 4-0 in their Stanley Cup Finals rematch against the lottery-bound Florida Panthers.
Draisaitl has four weeks to heal up if he hopes to return for the NHL playoffs, which are expected to begin on Saturday, April 18.