EDMONTON — At some point during the Edmonton Oilers’ first-round playoff series, Leon Draisaitl will return from the lower-body injury that ended his regular season on March 15.
It’s a matter of when Draisaitl plays against the Anaheim Ducks, not if, Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch has said. And based on Sunday’s practice at Rogers Center, it’ll be soon.
Draisaitl, for the second straight practice, was a full, active participant, centering a line with Vasily Podkolzin and Kasperi Kapanen and working with Edmonton’s top power-play unit. Knoblauch reiterated that no decision would be made until a meeting with the medical staff, but acknowledged that Draisaitl had been “trending very well this last week or so.” Game 1 is Monday.
Draisaitl, 30, was injured after making contact with the boards in a game against the Nashville Predators shortly after scoring his 35th goal of the season. Without him, Edmonton went 8-4-2 and secured second place in the Pacific Division despite a regular season that, at times, looked to be going off the track.
“It’s a lot of lonely times when you’re hurt. Guys are on the road, and you’re kind of grinding by yourself,” Draisaitl said. “I’m happy where it’s at right now. We’ll see how it evolves and see how I feel (Monday). … (It) was a nice break and hopefully, sooner than later, I can be back and help the guys out.”
Despite playing in just 65 games, Draisaitl finished ninth in the NHL with 97 points and scored goals at the same rate he did in 2024-25, when he led the league with 52. Connor McDavid and Draisaitl remain the best 1-2 punch in the league, and the Oilers’ Stanley Cup hopes hinge on both being at their absolute best.
“I know it’s going to take me a couple games to really be myself, and that’s OK, but it’s just the best time of year,” Draisaitl said. “There’s nothing like (playoff hockey) — the atmosphere, the intensity of it, the meaning of it all. The adrenaline takes a lot of pain away.”
Both McDavid and Draisaitl had 33 points in 22 playoff games in 2025. Edmonton, for a second straight season, lost to the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final.
“He has an ability to raise his game to a whole other level,” McDavid said. “You see that time and time again. This guy battles through anything, y’know?
Edmonton also got positive news regarding third-line center Jason Dickinson, who was a full participant for the first time since leaving the lineup on April 8 after blocking a shot against the San Jose Sharks. The Oilers acquired Dickinson at the trade deadline to add quality defensive play behind McDavid and Draisaitl and, more generally, address the forward depth issues that have intermittently plagued the two-time defending Western Conference champions. Dickinson’s status, like Draisaitl’s, hinges on a discussion with the medical staff, Knoblauch said.
Last spring, the Oilers started the postseason with a lineup dotted with injury concerns and inconsistent players. That’s not the case in 2026; they’ve run the same three defensive pairs for several games (Mattias Ekholm-Evan Bouchard, Darnell Nurse-Connor Murphy, Jake Walman-Ty Emberson) and, it would seem, are on the verge of getting their full complement of forwards, as well.
Dickinson centered Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Jack Roslovic; McDavid skated with Matt Savoie and Zach Hyman, who returned to the lineup in the regular-season finale against the Vancouver Canucks after missing five games with an unspecified injury.
“(We) kind of know where they’re supposed to go and who they should be playing with,” Knoblauch said. “I just think we’re in a better position.”
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