Leon Draisaitl, a critical piece of the Edmonton Oilers’ playoff puzzle, is expected to make his return to the lineup for Game 1 against the Anaheim Ducks on Monday night after missing more than a month of regular season play.
The team’s star centre hasn’t played since March 15 because of a lower-body injury sustained in the first period of a game against the Nashville Predators.
The Oilers confirmed via a post on X on Monday that Draisaitl was being “activated” ahead of Game 1 against the Ducks at Rogers Place. The prominent forward finished ninth in the NHL in points during the 2025-26 regular season.
Game 2 of the Oilers’ opening round playoff series will be played in Edmonton on Wednesday before the series flips to Anaheim for Friday’s Game 3 and Sunday’s Game 4 at the Honda Center.
Draisaitl was named the winner of the Hart Trophy in 2020, which is awarded annually to the NHL player deemed to be the most valuable to their team. He was the runner-up for the award last season.
In February, Draisaitl was Germany’s leading scorer at the Olympics with seven points in five games.
