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Report: Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl dealing with core muscle strain

Photo credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports

By Zach Laing

Dec 31, 2022, 18:51 ESTUpdated: Dec 31, 2022, 19:22 EST

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Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl is reportedly dealing with a strain to his core muscle.

This according to Kevin Weekes, who reported the news Saturday afternoon.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman also reported that Draisaitl was questionable for the New Year’s Eve game against the Winnipeg Jets and is considered day-to-day.

Kevin Weekes

@KevinWeekes

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Tough injury news for the @EdmontonOilers , as I’m told Hart Trophy Winner Draisaitl is dealing with a core muscle strain. @espn @NHL @NHLNetwork @TSNHockey @DKSportsbook #HockeyTwitter

11:06 PM · Dec 31, 2022

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Elliotte Friedman

@FriedgeHNIC

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For EDM, Leon Draisaitl skated today...hearing questionable for tonight...listed as day-to-day

9:24 PM · Dec 31, 2022

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Draisaitl missed the Oilers’ Friday night game against the Seattle Kraken, but the team had no issues as they went on to win the game 7-2.

A core muscle strain is far from ideal for Draisaitl. According to the Cleveland Clinic, abdominal muscle strains occur “when you tear or overly stretch muscles in the stomach.”

There are several muscle groups that make up the abdominal muscles: oblique muscles which help you rotate your body, rectus abdominus muscles which allow movement between the ribcage and pelvis, and transversus abdominus muscles — the deepest of the three — which help stabilize the trunk of the body and protect your organs.

The fact that Friedman reported he’s listed as day-to-day is good news. Hopefully, the injury itself is minor and he can return to the Oilers’ lineup soon.

Frank Seravalli

@frank_seravalli

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#Oilers update: Leon Draisaitl unlikely to play tonight against #nhljets, but not definitively ruled out. Original plan is that he also sits out vs. #SeaKraken on Tues, but he’s a tough guy to pin down. Safe to say: Draisaitl expected to be back within a handful of days.

12:13 AM · Jan 1, 2023

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Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli added that Draisaitl may also miss Tuesday’s rematch against the Kraken, though there are still a few days between now and then.

Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@oilersnation.com.