The Edmonton Oilers announced that star forward Leon Draisaitl will miss the remainder of the regular season with a lower-body injury. The 30-year-old center, who has accumulated 97 points in 65 games this season, suffered the injury during Sunday's victory over Nashville when he took a hard hit from Ozzy Wiesblatt in the first period.

Draisaitl returned for a couple of shifts but didn't come back for the second period. Initially, coach Kris Knoblauch indicated the medical staff believed it wouldn't be a "really long injury," but the team has now ruled him out for the season's final 14 games. The Oilers currently sit seventh in the Western Conference, just two points behind fourth-place Anaheim.

The timing is particularly challenging for Edmonton, as Draisaitl won the Hart Trophy as MVP in 2020 and was runner-up last season when the Oilers reached the Stanley Cup Final. Jason Dickinson will step in as the second-line center during Draisaitl's absence, leaving a significant scoring void for the Oilers to fill in their playoff push.