Good News for Oilers as Leon Draisaitl Likely in Lineup Saturday

Edmonton Oilers star forward Leon Draisaitl could be nearing a return to the lineup after taking part in the recent morning skates. According to Sports 1440’s Jason Gregor, while his return has not been officially announced, there is a “decent chance” that Draisaitl could suit up for the Oilers as they take on the Calgary Flames.

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Draisaitl has been out of action for the Oilers since suffering an injury against the Utah Hockey Club. The injury wasn’t said to be extremely serious, and if this were the playoffs, he probably would have been in the lineup. However, the Oilers wanted Draisaitl healthy for the postseason, so they are taking their time with his return. He’s either fully ready, or recent losses have Draisaitl itching to get back in the lineup.

A Draisaitl Return Is Huge for the Oilers

Draisaitl’s absence has been felt. The Oilers have allowed 10 goals in their past two games and lost to the Dallas Stars and Seattle Kraken. They’re also without Connor McDavid, Trent Frederic, Evander Kane, and Stuart Skinner. Mattias Ekholm was out of action on Thursday, but he could back in for the Oilers on Saturday as well.

It will be intriguing to see if head coach Kris Knoblauch tries to manage Draisaitl’s minutes upon his return. It will be easy to fall into a trap where the Oilers may call upon their star forward if they are down in the game or looking for a goal. However, if he’s not completely healthy, too many minutes could prove to be a step back for Draisaitil and the team’s desire to have him at full strength in the playoffs. He’s been less than 100 percent for the past two seasons.

It was only a few days ago that Knoblauch said, “Leon will be back sooner than Connor. We’re looking at about a week, maybe shorter for Leon, and Connor will be longer than that.” Draisaitl is coming back a bit sooner than expected.

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