The Edmonton Oilers have already clinched a postseason berth and continue to navigate the final days of the regular season while holding position atop a tight Pacific Division.
With a 40-29-10 record and 90 points in 79 games, Edmonton sits just two points ahead of the Vegas Golden Knights and the Anaheim Ducks, both with 89.
The Oilers have gone 7-3-1 without forward Leon Draisaitl, leaning on strong performances from players like Connor McDavid, who is coming off a five-point night in a win over San Jose on Wednesday.
Draisaitl has been sidelined since Mar. 15 with a lower-body injury, and at the time of his removal from the Oilers' lineup, he had scored 35 goals and 97 points in 65 games.
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Earlier this week, head coach Kris Knoblauch suggested the timeline could extend into the postseason.
“There’s a period of time that we anticipated (Draisaitl) returning and, as we said, it’s going to be right around the end of the regular season, the start of the playoffs,” Knoblauch said. “We anticipate he will be on the ice sometime this week. We’ll have an indication of how that’s going to go, but it’ll probably be sometime in that first round.”
General manager Stan Bowman provided a more detailed update on Thursday, offering clarity on how Draisaitl is progressing while appearing on the "Oilers Now" show with Bob Stauffer.
“As far as Leon goes, I think we’ll get a better feel for where he’s at when he’s skating with our team, which hopefully will be when we get back to Edmonton over the next week,” Bowman said. “He’s progressing well. Like I said from the beginning, nothing has changed from our original prognosis. We expect him back at the beginning of the playoffs.”
Bowman added that the organization will evaluate Draisaitl more closely once he resumes skating with the team, but he stopped short of committing to a particular return date for the Oilers superstar.
“Which date that will be, I think we'll get a better idea next week,” Bowman said. “But he's improving, he's not had any setbacks, and now it's just a matter of getting him (in form).”
Edmonton seems to be prioritizing health across the roster during the final days of the season, as the franchise also deals with other injured players, like forward Zach Hyman and goalie Connor Ingram.
The Oilers return to action on Saturday, when they will face the Los Angeles Kings on the road at 4 p.m. ET.
