Edmonton Oilers Head Coach Kris Knoblauch shared some candid insight last week discussing the team’s remarkable late season turnaround and the status of injured superstar Leon Draisaitl. And according to Knoblauch, the team has fought its way back into playoff contention through sheer desperation.
The Oilers recently saw their season-best five-game winning streak come to an end Saturday night with a 5–1 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights, but there is some serious progress his team has made despite facing adversity.
“It’s been a long trying year,” Knoblauch said in an interview with Jim Rome. “Going back-to-back Stanley Cup finals, you know, it’s difficult to recover from that just from being on such a long season. But I think we’ve been kind of finding our groove right now.”
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Oilers doing it “out of desperation”
Currently tied for first place in the Pacific Division with the Anaheim Ducks at 87 points (39–29–9), the Oilers have clawed their way back from the brink of missing the postseason entirely.
The coach was candid about what’s driving the Oilers’ recent success and its desperation.
“Obviously, you mentioned the five-game winning streak, and we’re doing it out of desperation,” Knoblauch said. “We, at one point, looked like we’re going to be missing the playoffs, and we also were missing one of our top players, Leon Draisaitl. And we’ve been able to rally and build something, and we’re just trying to play our best hockey going into the playoffs.”
When asked about the physical and mental toll of consecutive trips to the Stanley Cup Final, both ending in defeat to the Florida Panthers, Knoblauch didn’t sugarcoat the challenge.
“It’s taxing. It’s tiring for the coaches,” he said. “I can only imagine what it is for the players. Yes, the intensity of the NHL playoffs, I believe, is like nothing else. And for them to do it for two months plus up until the end of June, it takes quite a toll on the guys.”
He added: “That’s why you can see how much pride there is to winning that Stanley Cup. I think it’s a trophy that’s probably more pride in winning than any other around in any sport.”
Rallying without Draisaitl
The Oilers have been without Draisaitl since March 15 when he sustained a lower-body injury following a hit from Nashville Predators forward Ozzy Wiesblatt. At the time of the injury, Draisaitl was fourth in the NHL with 97 points (35 goals, 62 assists) in 65 games.
Knoblauch explained how the team has adjusted to losing one of the league’s elite players.
“It’s not just somebody you can find somebody to replace him, but hopefully you get everyone stepping up their game a little bit, which has helped our game a lot,” he said.
“One of the things that we talked about throughout the season was getting a better team defensively. We weren’t having trouble scoring goals and, you know, with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl on the ice for most of the game, you know, generating offence isn’t that hard, but we need to play better defensively.”
The coach noted that Draisaitl’s absence forced the team to tighten up their game: “When you’re missing a star player, you know, he was top five in the NHL scoring at the time. We knew that we had to limit the amount of chances that we gave up and guys have really stepped up. And that’s been a big reason why we’re on the streak that we are right now.”
Knoblauch provides update on Leon Draisaitl’s recovery timeline
Regarding the superstar centre’s return, Knoblauch provided an update that should give Oilers fans hope.
“We are hoping, the timeline was end of the regular season and hopefully we can get them at the start of the playoffs,” Knoblauch said. “And we’ve still got a couple of weeks before that, but we’re certainly hoping that he’s ready.”
Recent reports from NHL insider Jason Gregor suggest the injury is a knee issue, possibly a second-degree MCL problem, with Draisaitl eligible to return as soon as April 11. Gregor indicated there’s a strong chance Draisaitl will be ready for Game 1 of the first round and could even suit up late in the regular season.
Earlier last month, Draisaitl traveled to Munich, Germany, to receive treatment from renowned practitioner Dr. Hans-Wilhelm Müller-Wohlfahrt. In a recent interview, Draisaitl himself expressed optimism: “I hope (to return to the ice this season); that’s the plan and the reason I’m here (in Munich) right now. It will definitely take a few weeks. That much is certain. I hope we can keep playing long enough that I’ll be able to help out again at some point.”
Oilers General Manager Stan Bowman had previously suggested the injury might even be a blessing in disguise. “He’ll be rested and he’ll be fresh for the playoffs,” Bowman said, noting that Draisaitl missed time late last season as well but “didn’t miss a game in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.”
With seven games remaining in the regular season, the Oilers sit in a three-way battle for Pacific Division supremacy alongside the Ducks and the surging Golden Knights, who trail by just one point.
The Oilers will look to bounce back Tuesday when they begin a three-game road trip against the Utah Mammoth continuing their push to secure home-ice advantage for the playoffs and hopefully, welcoming back their superstar centre in time for another deep postseason run.
Photo by Curtis Comeau/Icon Sportswire
