Oilers’ Leon Draisaitl dealing with lower-body injury, no timeline for return
The Edmonton Oilers have provided a less-than-positive update regarding one of their superstar forwards.
Head coach Kris Knoblauch revealed on Monday that Leon Draisaitl has a lower-body injury, and there is currently no set timetable for his return.
Draisaitl has lower body injury via Knoblauch. Draisaitl was at doctor this morning while team skated so Knoblauch has no timeline on how long he might be out.
Draisaitl suffered the injury during Sunday’s 3-1 win over the Nashville Predators. Early in the first period, Draisaitl took a hard hit in front of the Nashville bench by Predators forward Ozzy Wiesblatt, forcing him to gingerly walk to the dressing room and miss the rest of the game.
Ozzy Wiesblatt ➡️ Leon Draisaitl • #NHL #HFhits #Smashville 🆚 #LetsGoOilers • 2026 MAR 15 • Nicolas Hague 🆚 Vasily Podkolzin: hockeyfights.com/fights/n273274 Vid via @sportsnet
Nicolas Hague vs Vasily Podkolzin from the Nashville Predators at Edmonton Oilers game on Mar 15, 2026 hockeyfights.com/fights/n273274…
The German national is having another typically prolific season, with 35 goals and 62 assists for 97 points in 65 games. He currently sits fourth in the NHL in scoring behind teammate Connor McDavid, Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon, and Tampa Bay Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov. Unless this injury keeps him out for the remainder of the regular season, Draisaitl is poised to post his seventh 100-point campaign in eight seasons, with the only season falling short of that mark coming in the COVID-shortened 2020-21 campaign, when he put up 84 points in 56 games.
Initially selected third overall in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, Draisaitl was a very good offensive player through the first few seasons of his career before breaking out in 2018-19 with 50 goals and 55 assists for 105 points. In the 2019-20 season he won the Hart Trophy as the league’s most valuable player and the Art Ross Trophy as the league’s highest scorer. In 2024-25, he won the Maurice Richard Trophy as the league’s leading goal scorer.
With 75 points through 68 games, the Oilers sit in third place in the Pacific Division, two points behind the division-leading Anaheim Ducks.
Edmonton will host the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday before welcoming the Florida Panthers on Thursday.