The Edmonton Oilers are playing their best hockey of the season right now in the absence of Leon Draisaitl, but that certainly doesn’t mean they don’t need him back to make a deep run in the playoffs.
Draisaitl’s availability is still everything for an Oilers team that’s Stanley Cup-or-bust, and while recent reports have suggested there is optimism around the superstar center returning—perhaps even by the end of the regular season—Kris Knoblauch didn’t give much away when recently asked about it on The Jim Rome Show.
He did say, however, that they’re hoping Draisaitl will be back by the start of the playoffs.
“We are hoping. The timeline was the end of the regular season, and hopefully, we can get him at the start of the playoffs. We’ve still got a couple of weeks before that, but we’re certainly hoping that he’s ready,”
The 30-year-old Draisaitl remains fifth in league scoring with 97 points (35 goals, 62 assists) produced in just 65 games played this season. He’s been out for almost three weeks with a lower-body injury sustained on a hit from Nashville Predators forward Ozzy Wiesblatt.
Given his LTIR status, Draisaitl technically could return by April 8, though Knoblauch’s comments suggest that might be pushing it. If he does miss the remainder of the regular season, that would give Draisaitl another full two weeks of rest and recovery before the playoffs begin the weekend of April 18 and 19.
The adversity of being without half of their two-headed monster at such a critical point in the season has turned out to pay dividends for the Oilers, but we all know they’ll need him back in the mix if they want any shot at returning to a third straight Stanley Cup Final—and winning it.
Next: Insider Hints at San Jose as Landing Spot if Connor McDavid Leaves Edmonton
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