Leon Draisaitl said, “I’m fine” when asked about his injury situation, one that he battled through in Game 7 versus the Los Angeles Kings. But, the injury is clearly still bothering him as he was not on the ice with the team on Monday morning and you can see it in his play. As per a report by Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff, Draisaitl is dealing with a high ankle sprain.
Seravalli notes that the Oilers tried to manage his minutes in Game 7, but they’ll have to do so even more ahead of Game 1 versus the Calgary Flames. In fact, Seravalli wonders if the Oilers might even choose to sit him for a game or two and bring him in only if needed. The NHL insider writes:
Going to be interesting to see how #LetsGoOilers manage Leon Draisaitl. Played through a very painful high-ankle sprain in Game 7. Can he grind through an entire Battle of Alberta? Or does it make more sense to heal up for first few games to return for meat of series?
It seems crazy to think that Draisaitl would voluntarily rest up and miss a playoff game. That said, if the Oilers can get a win without him and go up 1-0 or even 2-0, it would be huge in his rehabilitation and should the injury be a real problem.
The Oilers have already recalled Kyle Turris from Bakersfield of the AHL. While that move might not have anything to do with Draisaitl, it does open the door to conversations about who might slot in for Leon if he’s unable to play and what line combinations head coach Jay Woodcroft goes with if he’s forced to shuffle things around.
It is important to note that this morning’s skate was missing a number of the key names for the Oilers. Connor McDavid, Evander Kane, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Kailer Yamamoto, Darnell Nurse, Duncan Keith, and Mike Smith were not on the ice for practice either.
More must-reads: