It's hard to understate how important Leon Draisaitl is to the Edmonton Oilers. He is a top-five player in the world at this time, and could arguably be mentioned in the top-three. He has helped Edmonton to two-straight Stanley Cup Finals appearances. The Oilers star is also one of the team's most relied upon leaders on and off the ice.
With all this said, it's understandable why the team and its fans were holding their breath on Sunday night. Despite a 3-1 win over the Nashville Predators, the focus was on Draisaitl. The Edmonton star left the game with an injury after taking a hit from Nashville forward Ozzy Wiesblatt. After the game, head coach Kris Knoblauch explained what happened.
“He didn’t feel right. He went off, he got checked out, felt like he could play on it,” Knoblauch said, via NHL.com. “The medical staff looked at him and they were comfortable with him trying it out. He went out and he just didn’t feel quite right.”
Knoblauch did have a small update after the game, as well. While they don't know the full extent of the injury, there is some optimism within the locker room. The Oilers are optimistic about Draisaitl having avoided a serious injury.
“The fact that the medical staff said it doesn’t seem too bad and there’s no immediate red flags, it tells me that it shouldn’t be a really long injury. There might be some time off, but we’ll find out later,” Knoblauch told reporters.
Draisaitl is certainly one of the most productive players in the NHL. This season, the Oilers star has 35 goals and 97 points in 65 games. He, along with San Jose Sharks star Macklin Celebrini, has scored the fifth-most goals in the league. He is fourth in terms of points and is on the verge of joining teammate Connor McDavid in the 100-point club this season.
