Leon Draisaitl Absent from Oilers for Family Reasons
The Edmonton Oilers’ star forward, Leon Draisaitl, will be temporarily absent from the team to attend to a family illness in Germany, the team announced on Saturday. The 30-year-old player is expected to return next week.The Oilers requested privacy on behalf of Draisaitl. Draisaitl is second on the Oilers, and fifth in the NHL, with 67 points (25 goals, 42 assists). He is on pace for his fifth straight season with more than 100 points, and won the Rocket Richard Trophy last season after finishing the regular season with the most goals in the league (52). In 48 games this season, Draisaitl has averaged 22:05 minutes of ice time and has been key to Edmonton’s effective power play, recording 31 points with the man advantage. The German center hadn’t missed a game this season. The news came before the Oilers’ game against the Canucks on Saturday night.“Obviously, we’re going to miss Leon, and hopefully it won’t be for too long. And, obviously, we support Leon,” declared coach Kris Knoblauch after Edmonton’s morning practice. “What’s happening now is an unfortunate situation”.
Kris Knoblauch, Oilers Coach
McDavid added that the Oilers are used to filling gaps in the lineup, and saw several players take on additional responsibilities when the team was hit by injuries last season. “There’s a lot of opportunity for players to step up and make an impact,” he stated. After Saturday’s matchup against the Canucks, the Oilers host the St. Louis Blues on Sunday, followed by home games against the New Jersey Devils, the Pittsburgh Penguins, and the Washington Capitals next week.“Obviously, we’ll miss him. But the work is secondary,” said Oilers captain Connor McDavid. “Everyone here is brothers, fathers, sons, whatever, and those things come first. He has to go home and be with his family, and obviously we’re thinking about him and his whole family. We have to take care of things.”
Connor McDavid, Oilers Captain
