Draisaitl In First Round Is Possible

Leon Draisaitl is feeling pretty good, but he still needs more time before he returns to the Edmonton Oilers lineup. 

The Oilers superstar spoke with the media on Monday after participating in practice on a makeshift fifth line. Draisaitl started skating early last week and is on the road to recovery. However, he didn’t give too many details on the extent of the issue.

“I feel fine. Obviously, it’s progress, and there’s a timeline, and I have to follow that. But all in all, I feel pretty good. And it’s just one day at a time,” said Draisaitl. 

“There are steps that I have to follow, and there are certain things that I have to be able to do, and I’m not there yet right now. We’ll see how that is by the end of the week, or whenever Game 1 would be.”

Draisaitl and His Injury Woes

Draisaitl hasn’t played since he left the March 15th game against the Nashville Predators in the first period. He knew right away, after getting hit along the boards, that something didn’t feel right. 

He sought medical treatment in Germany in late March from Dr. Müller-Wohlfahrt. He’s the same doctor who treated Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews. Known for having a history of playing through injuries, this one doesn’t seem like an injury where he can grit his teeth and play through. It takes time to heal properly. 

“There are certain things that you can play through, and other things that are just, you have to think about your future and the team’s future a little bit. I think our staff and our medical staff, and I know how to handle these situations, and we know when it’s good to go and when it’s not,” said Draisaitl. 

Oilers Head Coach Kris Knoblauch said it would be premature to determine whether Draisaitl could play this week if necessary. There’s still part of the healing process he must go through. 

“Hopefully, with skates and the rehab treatments that he’s getting, he’s ready for us. Ideally, it’d be Game 1. If it’s Game 3 or 4, then so be it. We’re going to have to adjust,” Knoblauch told reporters Monday.