Leon Draisaitl injury: Oilers suffer big blow as HC Kris Knoblauch provides worrying update on $112,000,000 star

Edmonton Oilers superstar Leon Draisaitl will once again be sidelined on a short-term basis due to a lower-body injury.

Draisaitl appeared to aggravate the same injury he was dealing with previously, which he suffered on March 18 against Utah. He exited Thursday night's 3-2 win in San Jose during the second period after several uncomfortable-looking collisions and did not return.

Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch provided an update on Draisaitl on Friday. Sportsnet NHL insider Elliotte Friedman shared Knoblauch's comments on Draisaitl's injury status on X (formerly Twitter).

"EDM coach Kris Knoblauch said Leon Draisaitl is out “short-term” with a lower-body injury. Not concerned about his playoff readiness," Friedman wrote.

Knoblauch said,

"Lower body. And don't believe it's going to be something that's going to head into the playoffs. We think he's going to be back well before that, so we're not too concerned, especially with Leon's pain tolerance and things that he's played through before. But he will be missing some time."

Leon Draisaitl is in the final season of an eight-year, $68,000,000 contract signed in 2017. His newly signed eight-year, $112,000,000 extension with the Oilers begins during the 2025-26 campaign.

Leon Draisaitl is expected to return "well before playoffs"

Despite the nagging injury, the expectation is that Leon Draisaitl will return to the Edmonton Oilers lineup sooner rather than later.

Oilers' play-by-play voice Jack Michaels shared the news on X.

Draisaitl sits with 106 points (52 goals, 54 assists) in 71 games this season.

The Oilers will be back in action against the LA Kings without Draisaitl or McDavid on Saturday afternoon. The puck drops at 4 p.m. ET at Crypto.com Arena.