If Oilers' Draisaitl Misses Game 1, No Problem. Here's Who Else You Should Watch

Edmonton Oilers fans can breathe a little easier knowing Leon Draisaitl will play in their first-round series against the Anaheim Ducks, but the question remains when, exactly.

Draisaitl has been back skating with the team during practice ahead of the series opener, but he and coach Kris Knoblauch have yet to confirm whether he'll play in Game 1.

"That's up to the doctors to say that he's ready to play, he's not at risk of damaging something, so we'll wait for that," Knoblauch said after Friday's practice.

Added Draisaitl on Sunday: "We'll see how it feels tomorrow, and then, yeah, we'll make a call from there."

The Oilers' Most Compelling Individual Storylines This Postseason

As the Edmonton Oilers chase a deep playoff run, the spotlight isn't just on the team-it's on the individual stories within it.

"I take a lot of pride in being able to bring in scoring from a top-six forward role, a depth role, just really trying to be a Swiss army knife in the lineup," Roslovic said. "It's a lot of great talent here, obviously, it goes without saying that it takes everyone to get individual accolades."

Beyond the 20-goal scorers, Matt Savoie scored a hat trick in the regular-season finale to bring himself up to 18 goals, while Vasily Podkolzin has 19.

The rest of the roster picking up the slack in production at the right time will add a fresh dynamic to this team come Monday night, with or without Draisaitl.

Watch the video column up above for more.

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This story was originally published April 19, 2026 at 12:00 PM.