Draisaitl Injury: Oilers’ Playoff Chances on Life Support

The latest news on the Leon Draisaitl injury was not good for the Edmonton Oilers. The club announced that the star center would miss the remainder of the regular season following an awkward hit on Sunday night against the Nashville Predators.
While the Oilers won the game, the loss is a massive one. The Oilers are 5-4-1 in their last 10 games and have a tenuous grasp on third in the Pacific Division. While Edmonton is four points ahead of the Seattle Kraken, Seattle has two games in hand and seems to be turning up the heat.
That’s why the Draisaitl injury looms heavily on the Oilers. If Edmonton falls out of third place in their division, there’s no guarantee they can claim a wild card spot. The first wild card team, the Utah Mammoth, actually has more points than the Oilers.
All of a sudden, the Oil is in trouble. Coach Kris Knoblauch has consistently deployed a top-heavy lineup to offset the lack of depth scoring. Draisaitl consistently plays over 21 minutes a night, with the March 10 game against the Colorado Avalanche seeing the German star clock in nearly 23 minutes.
Given how top-heavy the Oilers are, this Draisaitl injury will do little to boost the club’s playoff chances. That situation could mean that Edmonton’s playoff chances might very well be on life support.
Oilers Need Vets to Step Up amid Draisaitl Injury
It goes without saying that the Oilers will need their veterans to step up amid this Draisaitl injury. The club cannot afford to let Draisaitl’s absence derail their playoff hopes.
NHL trade deadline acquisition Jason Dickinson will take over Draisaitl’s spot on the second line. The former Chicago Blackhawks forward will play a key role with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Jack Roslovic.
Meanwhile, the club will be turning to Josh Samanski to lead the third line with Kasperi Kapanen and Vasily Podkolzin. The fourth line sees the return of veteran Adam Henrique down the middle. He’ll lead Max Jones and Trent Frederic in what will hopefully become a solid depth squad that can add some punch amid the Draisaitl injury.
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Edmonton Hopes to Get Draisaitl in Time for Postseason
Since the Draisaitl injury will keep the former Hart Trophy winner out for the rest of the season, the hope will be to get him back in time for the playoffs.
While the goal is to secure a postseason berth at this point, the prospect of having Draisaitl back for round 1 of the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs is crucial.
That said, the expectation is that the Draisaitl injury won’t be significant enough to keep the star out beyond the remaining regular-season contests.
If anything, holding Draisaitl out of the lineup now seems more like a precautionary measure. While that would seem to be the case, the focus will be on having him suit up for one more prolonged Oilers’ playoff run.
This time around, the hope is that the playoffs will culminate in the Oilers hoisting the Cup.