Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl was in Munich, Germany, on Saturday as he continued his recovery from a lower-body injury and publicly addressed his ongoing absence.
"It will definitely take a few weeks," the 30-year-old told Sky Sport. "I hope we go far enough so I can help the team again.
The Oilers placed Draisaitl on long-term injured reserve on Thursday after previously announcing the three-time all-star was expected to miss the rest of the regular season.
He suffered the injury in the Oilers' win over the Nashville Predators last week. Draisaitl was hurt on a hit from Nashville Predators forward Ozzy Wiesblatt during the first period. He went to the locker room, returned for one shift before the end of the period, but was not on the bench to start the second. Draisaitl did not practise with his teammates on Monday.
The German star has 35 goals and 62 assists over 65 games for the Oilers this season.
Despite moving to LTIR and his comments on Saturday indicating he'll be out for at least "a few weeks," there is optimism Drasaitl could return at some point during the 2025-26 campaign. According to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, Oilers GM Stan Bowman said Wednesday that if everything goes as scheduled, Draisaitl will be back at the end of the regular season as the German superstar does not need surgery for his injury.
Draisaitl is receiving treatment while in his native Munich, visiting sports doctor Hans-Wilhelm Muller-Wohlfart, whom Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews also visited last year.
Picked third overall by Edmonton in the 2014 draft, Draisaitl has been a key part of the team that played in back-to-back Stanley Cup finals the last two seasons.
He had 110 points in the 2019-20 season, the most across the NHL, a performance that earned him both the Hart Memorial Trophy as league MVP and the Ted Lindsay Award, handed out annually to the player voted most outstanding by other members of the NHL players' association.
— with files from the Canadian Press
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