Oilers injury report: HC Kris Knoblauch provides latest on Connor McDavid & Leon Draisaitl's return timeline

On Wednesday, Edmonton Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch shared on X an update about when star players Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl would return to action.

"We expect to get everybody before the end of the season, whether that's in a couple games or one of the last two games of the season. Those guys are day-to-day to maybe a week away."

Draisaitl, the league’s leading goal-scorer with 52 goals, suffered a lower-body injury during last Thursday’s game against the San Jose Sharks. He had also missed four games in March due to an injury.

Team captain Connor McDavid has not played a game since leaving the ice on March 20 during a game against the Winnipeg Jets. He has missed eight games and is currently day-to-day.

The Oilers have suffered a rash of injuries in recent weeks, but are confident that the players will be fit in time for the playoffs.

On Wednesday, McDavid, Draisaitl, Mattias Ekholm and goalie Stuart Skinner all skated in the morning practice ahead of the Oilers' game against the St Louis Blues. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins will also miss Wednesday’s game due to illness, leaving the Oilers without their entire first line on the night.

The Edmonton team, who currently sit in third place in the Pacific Division, lost 3-2 to the Anaheim Ducks, marking their third loss in the series.

"If we're 3-1 after a road trip like that, we're very happy. 2-2 after starting 2-0, we're disappointed," Knoblauch said via NHL.com. "Tonight's game, I feel like it was one that we probably should have won."

The Oilers were shorthanded, with just 11 forwards and six defensemen, because of salary-cap space constraints.

Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are extremely important for the Oilers

The team’s reliance on the two star players is a worrying sign. The Oilers have managed only one win, scraping by 5-4 against the Seattle Kraken, when they were without both Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl this season. They have won four of the eight games McDavid has missed, but Draisaitl played in three of the wins and scored the game-winning goal in one game.

Knoblauch has repeatedly said that the two star players’ absence would leave space for other players to step up.

“As for our team, I think guys stepped up without the few games that we played without Leon and Connor," Knoblauch said on April 3.

The Edmonton Oilers will play their last regular-season game against the San Jose Sharks on Apr. 16.