The Edmonton Oilers can barely savor the joy of clinching two victories over the Nashville Predators and the San Jose Sharks, as news of standout forward Leon Draisaitl’s injury hangs heavily on the franchise.
While reports of Draisaitl potentially missing the rest of the regular season are widespread, a conflicting statement has emerged from Edmonton General Manager Stan Bowman’s office.
Stan Bowman Does Not Rule Out Leon Draisaitl’s Regular Season Appearance
The Nashville Predators locked horns with the Oilers on March 15, 2026, with Edmonton reigning victorious on its home ice 3-1. However, misfortune befell Draisaitl after a hit from Ozzy Wiesblatt sent him crashing into the boards. While the injury was initially not suspected to be serious, it soon took a turn for the worse, with Draisaitl expected to miss the rest of the regular season with a lower-body injury.
Things appeared so grim that there was no certainty that the 30-year-old would return for the playoffs either. “Right now, the timeline we’re using is the end of the regular season. Once the playoffs start, then we’ll reevaluate, and that’s where we’re at,” Head Coach Kris Knoblauch explained.
However, in a recent development, General Manager Stan Bowman clarified that there is a slim chance the star center could return at the end of the regular season. Bowman further shared that Draisaitl’s situation does not warrant surgery.
“You have to see how his recovery goes, but if everything goes as scheduled, and we’ll have a better feel for that as we get closer to the end, the expectation is it’ll just be until the end of the regular season,” Bowman explained.
Oilers GM Stan Bowman on Leon Draisaitl:
If everything goes as scheduled, he should be back at end of the regular season
Does not need surgery
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) March 18, 2026
Even if Draisaitl does not return for the regular season, he will be well-rested enough to channel his best form for the playoffs, which the Oilers seem poised to make. “He’ll be rested, and he’ll be fresh for the playoffs. This will be the second year in a row he’ll have missed some time leading in, and he’s always unbelievable in the playoffs,” Bowman stated, calling the possibility of Draisaitl’s absence for the remainder of the regular season a “blessing in disguise.”
Draisaitl is a franchise cornerstone and one-half of the formidable duo with Connor McDavid that has won numerous Oilers games that had almost slipped away. The 30-year-old forward is currently fourth in the NHL scoring race with 97 points, trailing McDavid, Nikita Kucherov, and Nathan MacKinnon.
