There was a Leon Draisaitl sighting on the ice at Rogers Place on Wednesday.
According to Tony Brar of Oilers TV, one of Edmonton’s two injured star forwards took part in the Oilers’ morning skate ahead of their game against the Dallas Stars. Draisaitl didn’t participate in line rushes and won’t play against the Stars but this is a positive sign nonetheless.
Draisaitl has missed the team’s last two games with an undisclosed injury. He last suited up in Edmonton’s 7-1 win over the Utah Hockey Club, a game that saw his career-high 18-game point streak snapped despite logging over 22 minutes of ice time. During the third period of that game, Draisaitl appeared to be shaken up after being dragged down in the neutral zone.
The Oilers hosted the Winnipeg Jets after that win against Utah and Draisaitl was out of the lineup for the first time all season. Connor McDavid left the game after being slashed by defenceman Josh Morrissey in the second period and Edmonton lost 4-3 in overtime.
Over the weekend, the Oilers hosted the Seattle Kraken in what was the team’s first game without either McDavid or Draisaitl in years. Led by a hat trick from Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Edmonton managed a 5-4 win against a team well out of playoff contention. The McDavid and Draisaitl-less Oilers will be in for a bigger test on Wednesday with the Stars in town.
Following the morning skate on Wednesday, head coach Kris Knoblauch provided an update, saying that Draisaitl will be back sooner than McDavid and the former could return this week.
After hosting the Stars on Wednesday, the Oilers will immediately travel to Seattle to play the Kraken on Thursday. They’ll then head back to Edmonton to host the Calgary Flames on Saturday. Draisaitl might be ready to return for the Battle of Alberta, but the game circled on everyone’s calendar is next Tuesday’s match in Vegas with the Pacific Division-leading Golden Knights.