Draisaitl could return to Oilers for Game 1 of West 1st Round against Ducks

EDMONTON -- Leon Draisaitl looks ready to go for the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The way the Edmonton Oilers forward was skating in practice Sunday seemed to indicate he’ll be in the lineup for Game 1 of the Western Conference First Round against the Anaheim Ducks at Rogers Place on Monday (10 p.m. ET; CBC, TVAS, SN, KCOP-13, ESPN2, Victory+).

But Draisaitl was not ready to commit to playing.

“I feel good, we’ll see how it feels tomorrow and then we’ll make a call from there,” he said. “It’s been good. Our staff, mainly (strength and conditioning coach Chad Drummond and assistant athletic therapist Chris Davie), they’ve done an amazing job being patient with me and looking at everything that there is to look at. So, I’m very grateful for those two and everyone else that was involved with it.

“It’s a lot of lonely times when you’re hurt; guys are on the road, you’re kind of grinding by yourself. I’m happy where it’s at right now, we’ll see how it evolves and we’ll see how I feel tomorrow.”

Draisaitl hasn’t played since sustaining a lower-body injury in a 3-1 win against the Nashville Predators on March 15. He missed the final 14 games of the regular season but has been practicing with the Oilers since April 13, when they returned from a three-game road trip.

“Leon’s been trending very well this last week or so and has participated in several practices and he’ll be available sometime in Round 1,” coach Kris Knoblauch said. “Whether that’s (Game) 1 or 5, that hasn’t been decided yet. I think today after practice we’ll meet with the medical staff and we’ll know.”

Forward Jason Dickinson, who sustained a lower-body injury blocking a shot in a 5-2 win at the San Jose Sharks on April 8, was also back at practice Sunday.

“They still have to be cleared by our medical staff,” Knoblauch said. “Dickinson hasn’t been on the ice for a while, today was his first full team skate. I think it went pretty well, I think he feels good, but I haven’t heard back from the medical staff exactly if they would be ready for Game 1.”

Draisaitl was fourth in NHL scoring with 97 points (35 goals, 62 assists) in 65 games when he was hit into the boards by Predators forward Ozzy Wiesblatt at 4:20 of the first period. He returned for two shifts toward the end of the period but did not play in the second or third.

Edmonton announced he was expected to miss the remainder of the regular season two days later. 

Draisaitl skated on the second line at practice Sunday between left wing Vasily Podkolzin and right wing Kasperi Kapanen.

The 30-year-old was also back at his usual spot on the Oilers' top power-play unit.

“That’s really positive, obviously, missing those two guys hurts,” captain Connor McDavid said. “With Leo and (Dickinson), two of our top-nine guys, we missed those guys a lot and it’s good to see them out there looking good.”

Edmonton is looking to go on another extended playoff run this season after losing in the Stanley Cup Final to the Florida Panthers the past two seasons. It finished 41-30-11, second in the Pacific Division, one point ahead of third-place Anaheim.

Draisaitl and McDavid led the NHL in playoff scoring last season, each having 33 points in 22 games. Draisaitl had 11 goals and 22 assists and McDavid had seven goals and 26 assists. The two are the highest-scoring players in the playoffs over the past four seasons.

McDavid has 128 points (33 goals, 95 assists) and Draisaitl has 114 points (41 goals, 73 assists) in 75 playoff games dating back to the 2022 playoffs.

“He (Draisaitl) has an ability to raise his game to a whole other level, and you see that time and time again in the playoffs,” McDavid said. “He’s a guy that battles through anything, it’s really impressive.”

Draisaitl has played through injuries in the postseason in the past.

In 2022, he sustained a high-ankle sprain in the first round against the Los Angeles Kings and played through it until the Oilers were swept in the conference final by the Colorado Avalanche.

In 2024, Draisaitl played through an upper-body injury all the way to Game 7 of the Cup Final against the Panthers.

He expects there to be an adjustment period once he does return to the lineup.

“A lot of time it’s the timing -- your plays, your reads, how early can you get to pucks, how early can I read where the puck is going for my game,” Draisaitl said. “There are lots of things that go into it. It’s going to take a little bit of time and I’m going to find my ways to contribute and try to get to my best as quick as I can.

“I think there’s always a fine line of hurting yourself or your future or the team, to grinding through something that you have to find different ways to contribute and help your team. I know it’s going to take me a couple of games to really be myself, and that’s OK.

"It’s just the best time of year; there’s nothing like it, the atmosphere, the intensity of it, the meaning of it all. The adrenaline takes a lot of the pain away, so just enjoy this time of year.”