The Edmonton Oilers will be the first to admit they've been too erratic at times this season, and as a result they find themselves involved in a tightly-contested battle for a top four finish in the Western Conference. (And home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs.) The only real positive constant for them so far in 2024-25, has been Leon Draisaitl.
Draisaitl has quite convincingly been the Oilers' best player this season, and as of the time of writing he leads the team with -- among other things -- 101 points and a +/- rating of +30. His 49 goals lead the NHL by 11 ahead of Thursday night's action, with him projected to finish the campaign with a career-high 59.
As such, as per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, it will come as a big blow to the Oilers and their fans that the 2020 Hart Trophy winner is doubtful for Thursday night's big clash with the Winnipeg Jets. He has been listed as day-to-day with an undisclosed injury, which he apparently suffered during Tuesday night's 7-1 thumping of Utah.
Bad timing for the Oilers to lose Leon Draisaitl
Of course the Oilers are grateful that Draisaitl's injury seems to be nothing serious, but missing his first game of the season couldn't come at a more challenging time. As mentioned above, the team is fighting for playoff position, as well as wanting to see how they match up with a Jets team which is comfortably top of the heap in the Western Conference.
Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch explained the rationale behind sitting Draisaitl for the Jets game, while speaking to the assembled media on Thursday morning. As per NHL.com, Draisaitl said: "It's definitely being cautious. We're near the end of the regular season, hitting the playoffs. We want 100 percent from Leon when he's healthy and this is something we do not want to linger. We feel this is something he probably could play through, maybe it's not an issue, we certainly don't want it to be an issue for the long-term. So this is definitely the right play, we believe."
On the more positive side for the Oilers
Aside from the situation surrounding Draisaitl, there was also some extremely encouraging news on Thursday for the Oilers. As per Friedman's Sportsnet colleague Gene Principe, Evander Kane skated for the first time at practice this season since his abdominal and knee surgeries.
At one point there was talk of potentially moving Kane ahead of the trade deadline, but now he could prove to effectively be a new (and extremely fresh) addition to the Oilers in their pursuit of the Stanley Cup. Yes there's no guarantees yet he will be ready for the beginning of the playoffs, but as per Thursday's sighting at practice, the signs are at least encouraging.
In this respect, the polarising winger has previously proven he can step up for the Oilers once the pressure is ramped up, as best evidenced by the 17 points he produced in 15 playoff games back in 2021-22. He is also renowned for his physicality and ability to wind up opponents, and both traits could prove invaluable for Knoblauch's team.
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