Oilers insider reveals Leon Draisaitl dealing with injury

Earlier tonight on OilersNow, insider Bob Stauffer dropped a concerning report that has flown under the radar so far this year. According to Stauffer, Leon Draisaitl has been playing through a nagging injury this entire year.

Stauffer provided no other details of what the nature of Draisaitl's injury was. It's clearly not enough to stop him from playing this season, but it may be keeping him from playing at his full abilities. It may be possible that Draisaitl is suffering minor or manageable symptoms of something that would require surgery, and is looking to avoid that if possible. Here's the video of Stauffer's comments.




Unfortunately then for Draisaitl and the Oilers, he has to attend the all-star game instead of taking an opportunity to rest. Thankfully however, the Oilers have their bye-week immediately after the All Star break.

It has also previously been reported that Evander Kane has been playing through a nagging groin and hand injury. If both Draisaitl and Kane are playing through injury, they likely are doing so to make up for their slow start to the season. Simply put, the Oilers couldn't afford to lose Draisaitl and Kane to injury when their record was 2-9-1 and find a way to make it back to the playoffs like they have. It shows the dedication and determination of the Oilers players.