The Edmonton Oilers closed out Thursday’s game without Leon Draisaitl taking to the ice.
The superstar forward was injured in the second period of their game against the San Jose Sharks, leaving partway through the period. By the end of the frame, the Oilers had ruled out a return.
Draisaitl had a rough go of it in the game, getting tripped up in the first frame and falling on his back, before he was interfered with by Collin Graf, forcing him to the ice again. It was not only those instances that could’ve ailed him, as he also stepped on a puck with his right skate, falling to the ice as the Oilers looked to break out of their own zone.
As mentioned on the broadcast, Leon Draisaitl has gone down the tunnel.
Hopefully, it's nothing major.
📹: Sportsnet pic.twitter.com/l0kMnM5sVY
— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) April 4, 2025
He had missed four games in late March due to injury after being shaken up during a game against the Utah Hockey Club on the 18th. Draisaitl returned for the Oilers two most recent games against the Calgary Flames and Vegas Golden Knights, helping contribute to back-to-back wins with three goals and four points, three of which came against their provincial rivals.
The Oilers are currently dealing with a litany of injuries in their lineup, already without the likes of Connor McDavid, Mattias Ekholm, and Stuart Skinner, while the likes of Trent Frederic and Evander Kane work their way back from injury. Frederic appears to be the closest to lace up his skates in a game, with Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch indicating this week he could return for next Monday’s game against the Anaheim Ducks.
The team will surely hope that it’s nothing serious for Draisaitl, and his removal from the game was nothing but precautionary. Prior to leaving the game he had one shot on goal and an assist in 10:04 of ice time.
Edmonton will next take on the Los Angeles Kings Saturday night before scampering to visit the nearby Ducks.
Zach Laing is Oilersnation’s associate editor, senior columnist, and The Nation Network’s news director. He also makes up one-half of the DFO DFS Report. He can be followed on Twitter, currently known as X, at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach.laing@bettercollective.com.
