Oilers GM Reveals Latest Details on Draisaitl Injury Return Target Date

We reported yesterday that the Edmonton Oilers announced that their superstar forward Leon Draisaitl would be out for the remainder of the regular season. But there was no mention of anything to do with treatment or playoff ramifications. Today, Oilers general manager Stan Bowman tried to clarify a couple of things.

As the NHL's GM Meetings continue in Florida, insider Elliotte Friedman was able to catch up with Bowman to get the latest on the troubling Leon Draisaitl injury situation.

Oilers GM Stan Bowman on Leon Draisaitl:

If everything goes as scheduled, he should be back at end of the regular season

Does not need surgery
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) March 18, 2026

Friedman said that Bowman relayed that "If everything goes as scheduled, he should be back at the end of the regular season." In addition, it was stated that Draisaitl "Does not need surgery."

That's at least an improvement over what head coach Kris Knoblauch said when he was last asked about it, which is that he couldn’t confirm anything, saying, “the language we’re using right now is regular season.”

Bowman offering a bit of reassurance for Oilers fans on Draisaitl?

But the newest statements from Bowman (through Friedman) should act as somewhat of a sigh of relief for Oilers fans—for now at least.

But first, they have to get to the playoffs. Their 5-3 win over the San Jose Sharks Tuesday night is certainly a step in the right direction. That puts them into a tie with the Anaheim Ducks for first place, though by the thinnest of margins.

It also puts a huge dent in the Sharks' playoff hopes, as Edmonton is now a full seven points up on San Jose, who are one of the teams chasing them, both in the Pacific Division and in a potential Wild Card scramble.

The win also puts them six points up on the Seattle Kraken and the LA Kings, who are tied for the second and final Wild Card spot. It should be noted that all of the aforementioned teams have a couple of games in hand on Edmonton.

But the Oil have their sights set on a top-3 spot in the division and a guaranteed playoff spot, and Tuesday's win is a good starting point. 13 games to go.

Draisaitl has been known to play through injury before, so you know if there's any chance of him playing, he'll be out there come the postseason.