HIGHLIGHTS
- Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl remain out of the Edmonton Oilers’ lineup
- Head coach Kris Knoblauch gave an update on the star duo on Wednesday morning
- Keep reading for the full story
It’s a rare occurrence where both Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are absent from the Edmonton Oilers lineup at the same time. But, that’s unfortunately the case right now as the superstar duo are battling injuries with the playoffs about a month away.
Before the Oilers’ 4-3 loss to the Dallas Stars on Wednesday, head coach Kris Knoblauch gave an important update on his two best players. Draisaitl is expected back within the week, while McDavid could be out longer than that.
Via Gene Principe:
From @EdmontonOilers Kris Knoblauch with Leon/Connor update.
"Both not playing tonight.
Leon will be back sooner than Connor. We are looking at a week or maybe shorter than that for Leon. Connor will be longer than that."— Gene Principe (@GenePrincipe) March 26, 2025
Draisaitl, who is a frontrunner for the Hart Trophy, did practice on Wednesday morning however. He suffered an undisclosed injury on March 18. As for McDavid, he sustained an upper-body injury on March 20.
Draisaitl is having a monster campaign, scoring 49 goals and tallying 52 helpers for a total of 101 points. He’s tied for second in the NHL in points. McDavid, on the other hand, has 26 goals and 64 assists in 2024-25.
Although the Oilers did lose a heartbreaker on Wednesday, the absence of Draisaitl and McDavid has given Ryan Nugent-Hopkins the opportunity to shine at centre. He has nine points in his last five outings, even scoring a hat trick in a victory over the Seattle Kraken on Saturday.
Knoblauch wants to see the supporting cast, including Nugent-Hopkins, step up with their two top guys sidelined because their contributions will be huge come playoff time.
Via Sportsnet:
“We hope in the long run this is good for us,” Knoblauch told reporters. “Do we ever want (McDavid and Draisaitl) out of the lineup? No. (In) the short term, it’s harder for us to win games and move up in the standings, and we want to win as many games as possible. But, collectively, we want to be at our best for the playoffs. That’s the most important thing, and this little break without having those two, maybe that helps other guys find their games.”
Unfortunately, the Edmonton lineup took another hit against the Stars as netminder Stuart Skinner left early with an injury. Trade deadline acquisition Trent Frederic still hasn’t made his debut with the Oilers either and remains weeks away from taking the ice.
