Oilers Activate Leon Draisaitl Off LTIR

The Oilers will indeed welcome back one of their top players as their first-round series against Anaheim gets underway tonight.  The team announced (Twitter link) that they have activated forward Leon Draisaitl off long-term injured reserve.

The 30-year-old has been sidelined since mid-March due to a lower-body injury.  He briefly flew to Germany to be assessed and at that time, it was noted that the hope was that he’d be back at some point in the first round.  He’ll beat that by being ready for the start of the series.

Draisaitl finished just shy of the 100-point mark this season, snapping a streak of four straight years at that threshold.  However, he still managed 35 goals and 62 assists in 65 appearances with his 1.49 points per game mark matching what he put up in 2024-25.

Draisaitl has been especially productive in the playoffs in recent years which certainly bodes well for Edmonton.  Last year, he led all players in postseason points with 33; he has surpassed the 30-point mark in three of the last four years.  That extra firepower will certainly make their lineup that much more dangerous.

With Jason Dickinson expected to be available tonight, this should be the first game all season that the Oilers have had their fully healthy lineup.  We’ll soon find out if that’s enough to give them a boost in the opener against the Ducks.