Oilers Reveal Draisaitl To Miss Games From Injury Suffered Sunday

The Edmonton Oilers picked up a big win on Sunday against the Nashville Predators, but the cost was an injury to Leon Draisaitl. He met with doctors on Monday morning and was not on the ice with the team for practice. Head coach Kris Knoblach has admitted that the superstar forward will be out for a bit of time.

No update on Leon Draisaitl from Kris Knoblauch, but he does anticipate he may miss some games. #Oilers. #NHL
— Derek Van Diest (@DerekVanDiest) March 16, 2026

Draisaitl was hit hard right up against the Predators' bench by Ozzy Wiesblatt. Without any glass to help buffer the impact, it appears that Draisaitl's right hip took the brunt of the blow.

Leon Draisaitl appeared to be injured after taking a hard hit early in the first period from Ozzy Wiesblatt.

Draisaitl was not on the bench to start the second, and didn't play the rest of the game. Kris Knoblauch had no update on his status after the game. pic.twitter.com/PaLTn6wKxa
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 16, 2026

Adding insult to injury, it had to be the kid from Calgary taking out Edmonton's superstar.

“I think there will be some time without him,” Knoblauch told the media. “I’m not sure if it will be one (game), two or how long it’s going to be. I don’t have much information right now.”

The Oilers' hold on a playoff spot isn't fully guaranteed at the moment. The San Jose Sharks, the top team on the outside looking in right now, are five points back, and they just happen to be the team visiting Edmonton for a huge game Tuesday night.

The next few contests after that don't get any easier for the Oil, as they'll face the Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Utah Mammoth, Vegas Golden Knights and then the Anaheim Ducks.

Oilers will not force Draisaitl back early & risk further injury

But Knoblauch, even while knowing how crucial this stretch of games is, said they will not be rushing Draisaitl back if he's not ready to go full speed.

"We don’t want to aggravate it, make it worse. We’re obviously looking at the big picture, but the games are important — there is nothing for sure right now about us making the playoffs. We need to win hockey games, but if he’s not healthy to play, he’s not going to play...

“He plays through a lot of pain and can play at a very high level, But if he’s not able to play and it’s something that could get worse, that’s different.”

Draisaitl sits 4th in NHL scoring as of Monday, with 35 goals and 97 points in 65 games.

The Oilers are 3rd place in the Pacific, one point back of the Golden Knights and two back of the Ducks. But they're only four points up on the Kraken, who hold the second Wild Card spot.