Edmonton Oilers star forward Leon Draisaitl, who has 97 points in 65 games, is expected to miss the remainder of the regular season after sustaining a lower-body injury, the team said Tuesday.
Draisaitl, who has 35 goals and 62 assists this season, suffered the injury on a hard hit from Ozzy Wiesblatt in the first period of Sunday’s victory vs. Nashville. He came back for a couple of shifts, but didn’t return for the start of the second period.
Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch on Sunday said information from the team’s medical staff implied that “it shouldn’t be a really long injury.”
“No immediate red flags,” Knoblauch said. “… There might be some time off, but we’ll find out later.”
The Oilers, who are seventh in the Western Conference but are just two points behind fourth-place Anaheim, have 14 games remaining in the regular season.
Draisaitl, 30, won the Hart Trophy as MVP in 2020 and was the runner-up as the Oilers reached the Stanley Cup Final last season.
Jason Dickinson is expected to slot in as the second-line center while Draisaitl is sidelined.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
