Oilers stars to undergo further testing

For many reasons, Thursday night’s loss to the Winnipeg Jets was hard for the Edmonton Oilers to bear. 

They entered the night without superstar forward Leon Draisaitl, who was announced as out day-to-day with an undisclosed injury after the team’s morning skate. Edmonton also saw two major injuries occur mid-game. Franchise centerman Connor McDavid left the game before the start of the third period after appearing to suffer a lower-body injury on his final shift of the second period — which only lasted 16 seconds. 

Later in the third, concussion spotters forced starting goaltender Stuart Skinner to exit the game. The Oilers lost 4-3 in overtime — and are now forced to pick up the pieces of three crucial absences. Both Draisaitl and McDavid will head for further testing on Friday to help determine the severity and duration of their injuries, per Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff.

No update has been provided on Skinner, though head coach Kris Knoblauch did share that Skinner was frustrated over getting pulled early, per Jason Gregor of Sports 1440. He’ll need to be cleared of a concussion before he can step back into the lineup.

This news is a terrible blow to an Oilers club that seemed to be firing on all cylinders. They were on a three-game win streak entering Thursday night, having outscored opponents 12-3. McDavid scored five points, and Draisaitl scored three points over that streak — while Skinner saved 21 of the 22 shots he faced in one game of action. The trio served crucial roles in Edmonton’s success, and losing them so suddenly will be a blow to the Oilers' roster.

Center Adam Henrique took over for McDavid on the top line in the immediate wake of his injury, while newcomer Max Jones slotted into a fourth-line role in Draisaitl’s absence. Henrique will likely maintain a top-six role while McDavid sits out, though priority minutes could go to Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who has six points in his last three games. Jones will be the de facto fill-in winger, though he could face competition from healthy scratch Derek Ryan. Ryan hasn’t played since Jan. 11 and has five points in 33 games this season. Jones has one assist in six games with the Oilers.

Edmonton will also watch Evander Kane as they think of deeper injury concerns. Kane hasn’t played since the 2024 Stanley Cup Finals. He’s been forced out of this season by abdominal and knee surgeries but returned to Edmonton’s practices for the first time on Thursday. He seems unlikely to return before the regular season ends. Still, any extended absences for Draisaitl or McDavid could push the Oilers to consider load management with just 13 games left in their season. Edmonton would need to clear roughly $5M in cap space to active Kane off of long-term injured reserve before the season ended.

Meanwhile, Edmonton will likely be pushed to recall Collin Delia or Olivier Rodrigue should Skinner need to miss additional time. Pickard, who could get an open path to a short-term starting role, has posted a 3-2-0 record and a .904 save percentage in his last five starts.