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EDMONTON \u2014 At some point during the Edmonton Oilers\u2019 first-round playoff series, Leon Draisaitl will return from the lower-body injury that ended his regular season on March 15.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a matter of when Draisaitl plays against the Anaheim Ducks, not if, Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch has said. And based on Sunday\u2019s practice at Rogers Center, it\u2019ll be soon.<\/p>\n
Draisaitl, for the second straight practice, was a full, active participant, centering a line with Vasily Podkolzin and Kasperi Kapanen and working with Edmonton\u2019s 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 \u201ctrending very well this last week or so.\u201d Game 1 is Monday.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a lot of lonely times when you\u2019re hurt. Guys are on the road, and you\u2019re kind of grinding by yourself,\u201d Draisaitl said. \u201cI\u2019m happy where it\u2019s at right now. We\u2019ll see how it evolves and see how I feel (Monday). \u2026 (It) was a nice break and hopefully, sooner than later, I can be back and help the guys out.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\u2019 Stanley Cup hopes hinge on both being at their absolute best.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know it\u2019s going to take me a couple games to really be myself, and that\u2019s OK, but it\u2019s just the best time of year,\u201d Draisaitl said. \u201cThere\u2019s nothing like (playoff hockey) \u2014 the atmosphere, the intensity of it, the meaning of it all. The adrenaline takes a lot of pain away.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe has an ability to raise his game to a whole other level,\u201d McDavid said. \u201cYou see that time and time again. This guy battles through anything, y\u2019know?<\/p>\n
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\u2019s status, like Draisaitl\u2019s, hinges on a discussion with the medical staff, Knoblauch said.<\/p>\n
Last spring, the Oilers started the postseason with a lineup dotted with injury concerns and inconsistent players. That\u2019s not the case in 2026; they\u2019ve 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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201c(We) kind of know where they\u2019re supposed to go and who they should be playing with,\u201d Knoblauch said. \u201cI just think we\u2019re in a better position.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n