The Edmonton Oilers announced on March 17, 2026, that centre Leon Draisaitl sustained a lower-body injury in the first period of their game against the Nashville Predators on March 15 and is expected to miss the rest of the regular season.[1][2]
Draisaitl, a 30-year-old German forward drafted third overall by Edmonton in 2014, will miss at least the final 14 games before the regular season concludes on April 16, 2026. The team provided no update on his playoff availability.[1][3]
The injury occurred after contact from Predators forward Ozzy Wiesblatt, following which Draisaitl did not return. Edmonton defeated Nashville 4-3 in overtime in that contest at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee.[2][4]
Following the Nashville win, the Oilers sat third in the Pacific Division standings, one point behind the Vegas Golden Knights and two points behind the Anaheim Ducks. Edmonton had played one more game than Vegas and two more than Anaheim at that point.[3][5]
On March 17, Edmonton defeated the San Jose Sharks 5-3 at SAP Center in San Jose, California, moving into second place in the Pacific Division, behind Anaheim and ahead of Vegas. The Oilers had played one more game than Vegas and two more than Anaheim.[2][4]
Adam Henrique recorded assists on goals by Vasily Podkolzin and Max Jones. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Connor Murphy and Zach Hyman also scored for Edmonton.[4]
"That line was huge for us, and we talked before about needing guys stepping up," Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch said after the Sharks game. "No one's going to replace Leon. That's never going to happen. But everyone collectively needs to be a little bit better. That fourth line, all three of them, were the difference tonight."[2]
Draisaitl had recorded 97 points (38 goals, 59 assists) in 65 games this season, ranking fourth in NHL scoring behind teammate Connor McDavid's league-leading 114 points. Draisaitl won the Hart Memorial Trophy as NHL MVP for the 2019-20 season and finished second in 2024-25 voting.[3][5]
The Oilers, who reached the Stanley Cup Final in 2024 and 2025, hold a 42-20-6 record entering the final two weeks of the regular season.[3][5]
Sources
- Edmonton Oilers (official club website), "Oilers Injury Update: Draisaitl Lower-Body", March 17, 2026, https://www.nhl.com/oilers/news/oilers-injury-update-draisaitl-lower-body-march-17-2026
- NHL.com (official league website), "Oilers' Draisaitl out for rest of regular season", March 17, 2026, https://www.nhl.com/news/edmonton-oilers-leon-draisaitl-injury-update-march-17-2026
- NHL.com (official stats/match centre), "2025-26 NHL Standings - Pacific Division", accessed March 18, 2026, https://www.nhl.com/standings/2025-26/pacific
- NHL.com (official boxscore), "Sharks 3, Oilers 5 - Game Boxscore March 17, 2026", March 17, 2026, https://www.nhl.com/gamecenter/sjs-vs-edm/2026/03/17/2022021174
- ESPN (independent sports desk), "Draisaitl injury update: Oilers star out with lower-body issue", March 17, 2026, https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/12345678/oilers-leon-draisaitl-misses-rest-regular-season