The Edmonton Oilers have made some roster moves.
The team officially placed forward Leon Draisaitl on long-term injured reserve, the team announced on Thursday.
Forward Roby Jarventie was subsequently recalled from the AHL's Bakersfield Condors on an emergency basis.
Edmonton had previously announced that Draisaitl was expected to miss the rest of the regular season due to a lower-body injury suffered 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 30-year-old German centre has 35 goals and 62 assists over 65 games for the Oilers this season.
There is some optimism that 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.
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.
In their first game without Draisaitl in the lineup, the Oilers defeated the San Jose Sharks 5-3 on Tuesday. The win moved the Oilers into a tie for first in the Pacific Division with the Anaheim Ducks.
As for Jarventie, the former 33rd overall pick in 2020 has logged seven NHL appearances through his NHL career, all with the Ottawa Senators in 2023-24. The 21-year-old posted one assist and a minus-five mark in that span.
Jarventie has 36 points (17 goals, 19 assists) through 52 games with the Condors this season.
The Oilers return to action on Thursday, hosting the Florida Panthers for a Stanley Cup Final rematch (Sportsnet, Sportsnet+, 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT).
— With files from the Canadian Press
