Oilers’ Leon Draisaitl to take leave of absence due to family illness

The Edmonton Oilers will be without one half of their dynamic duo for a few games.

The Oilers released a statement Saturday announcing that star forward Leon Draisaitl will be taking a brief leave of absence from the team.

“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.”

The statement suggests Draisaitl will return to the Oilers “later next week”, which means he could step back into the lineup for Thursday’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, or possibly next Saturday’s game against the Washington Capitals.

Draisaitl, 30, has been having another typically prolific offensive season. In 48 games, the German national has 25 goals and 42 assists for 67 points. He currently ranks fifth in NHL scoring, 15 points back of teammate Connor McDavid and Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon, who are tied with 82 points each.

Initially drafted third overall by Edmonton in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, Draisaitl has become one of the most decorated forwards of his generation. Now in his 12th NHL season, he has already surpassed 1,000 points for his career. In 2020, he won the Hart Trophy as the league’s most valuable player and the Art Ross Trophy as the league’s leading overall scorer. Last season, he won the Rocket Richard Trophy as the league’s leading goal scorer.

Draisaitl will also lead the German men’s hockey team at the upcoming Milano Cortina Winter Olympics. With NHLers not having participated in the Oympics since 2014, this will be Draisaitl’s first time representing his country at the Winter Games.

The Oilers visit the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday before beginning an eight-game homestand against the St. Louis Blues on Sunday.