Concern is mounting in Edmonton over the health of Leon Draisaitl after fans noticed the Oilers superstar repeatedly icing his right hand during Germany’s Olympic Games. The injury appears to be lingering from an incident against the Minnesota Wild on January 31.Draisaitl left that game to have his right hand evaluated by the Oilers medical staff, but returned to play. With the Olympics on the horizon, any player would push through pain to represent their country at such a significant event. Unfortunately, the Olympics may be worsening whatever hand issue Draisaitl is dealing with.
Fans remain worried over Leon Draisaitl’s health once he returns to the NHL
Fans have observed him icing his right hand on the bench after nearly every shift during Germany’s first two games at the Milano Cortina 2026 tournament. Despite the apparent injury, Draisaitl continues to give his best effort for Germany. He has one goal and three assists through two Olympic games and leads all German players in shots on goal. Germany opened with a 3-1 victory over Denmark before falling 4-3 to Latvia in a stunning upset on Saturday morning. Draisaitl fired 10 shots in the loss to Latvia, over a third of Germany’s total attempts.The 29-year-old center has been one of the tournament’s most active shooters despite clearly managing discomfort. His willingness to play through pain shows his commitment to representing Germany on hockey’s biggest stage.For the Oilers, this is major bad news. They are set to return for the home stretch of the league as they push for the playoffs. While Edmonton has managed to be within postseason contention with 64 points across 58 games, Draisaitl’s injury might put a stopper on their overall gameplay.Not to mention, the German center remains the Oilers’ second-best point scorer this season with 80 points. Without him on their top line, their effectiveness could go down in a blink. In the scenario that his injury is worse than expected, he might miss the remaining regular season while his hand heals.The Oilers would prefer their superstar return at full health before the playoffs rather than playing through lingering discomfort. For now, Oilers fans can only watch nervously as Draisaitl continues representing Germany while managing what appears to be a significant hand issue. His dedication to playing through pain is admirable, but also worrying for a franchise counting on him. Germany faces the United States on Sunday at 3:10 p.m. ET to conclude Group C preliminary round play. How Draisaitl’s hand holds up in that matchup could determine whether he needs treatment after returning to Edmonton.
