Edmonton Oilers head coach Jay Woodcroft wouldn’t offer any insight as to the status of either Leon Draisaitl or Brett Kulak, but neither were on the ice Saturday morning as the Oilers took their morning skate ahead of Game 7 versus the Los Angeles Kings. Draisaitl has been dealing with an ankle issue but Kulak’s situation is a new development.
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Since neither did not skate, it is possible both could be out of the lineup. At the same time, the Oilers might be resting them ahead of the final matchup versus the Kings in the first-round series. Draisaitl did finish Game 6, and many thought he might be able to battle through Game 7, but Woodcroft wouldn’t shed any light on the situation, noting that Kings’ coach Todd McLellan put it well last week when saying it’s the time of year to not speak about injuries.
When Connor McDavid was asked about the injury and whatever is clearly nagging Draisaitl, the Oilers captain responded, “I’m not here to give an injury update.” He added, “I don’t want to talk about that at this time”. He is focused on Game 7 and what is in his control, as are most of the Oilers.
As for Kulak, his absence comes as a bit of a surprise, especially considering the Oilers just sent left-shot defenseman Philip Broberg back down to the Bakersfield Condors of the AHL. If Kulak is/was going to be out, the Oilers would probably stick with an 11 forwards and 7 defenseman system and Broberg would be playing.
It is likely both will play, but we’ll keep our eyes on this situation and update the report as news becomes available.
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