Connor McDavid wishes Oilers feed off Leon Draisaitl’s injury to be better

Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers may now find out what they are really about in the 2025-26 NHL season. Leon Draisaitl has been placed on long-term injured reserve (LTIR) and is expected to miss the remainder of the regular season. The positive note is that the German star should be fully healthy for the Stanley Cup Playoffs—but Edmonton must first make it.

“Obviously, disappointing. Losing a guy like [Leon Draisaitl] sucks, it makes it tough. But we saw different guys step up, that’s what it’s about. We’re in the thick of a playoff race, it’s going to take everyone to get us in,” McDavid commented on Draisaitl’s injury, via @EdmontonOilers on X. “It takes all of us to be a bit more dangerous, shoot the puck a little bit more. Find different ways to score more goals.”

Draisaitl is out with a lower-body injury sustained on March 15, when Edmonton hosted Nashville at Rogers Place. Initially thought to be a minor issue, the Oilers’ latest injury update on Draisaitl proved Kris Knoblauch wrong, as the head coach suggested a short-term absence for McDavid’s sidekick.

How many games will Draisaitl miss?

Leon Draisaitl is trending to miss 14 games to close out the NHL regular season. Whether he will be back for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs’ first round—if the Edmonton Oilers even make the postseason without him—is a different story.

Leon Draisaitl will miss the remainder of the regular season

Regardless, anything can happen. Because he’s been placed on LTIR, Draisaitl must miss at least 10 games and 24 days of the 2025–26 NHL regular season. Thus, he could make his return on April 8, when the Oilers take on the San Jose Sharks on the road.

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Oilers GM Stan Bowman provides key update on Leon Draisaitl’s injury status

If Connor McDavid and the rest of the Oilers can keep the team afloat during Draisaitl’s absence, then Edmonton may have clinched a playoff spot by then, allowing Draisaitl to be rested until the postseason. If not, however, he may be rushed back onto the ice in a desperate attempt to salvage the season in the Gateway to the North.