Oilers Place Draisaitl on LTIR, Recall Järventie From Bakersfield

Leon Draisaitl's lower-body injury, sustained on a hit from Nashville Predators forward Ozzy Wiesblatt, officially became a long-term injured reserve situation on March 19 when the Edmonton Oilers formalized the move and recalled Roby Järventie from the Bakersfield Condors on an emergency basis.

The sequence of events unfolded quickly after Wiesblatt caught Draisaitl in the first period of the Oilers' win over Nashville last week. Draisaitl went to the locker room, returned for a single shift before the period ended, then never appeared on the bench to start the second. He skipped Monday's practice entirely, and the team subsequently confirmed what the training staff already knew.

The initial prognosis was grim: Draisaitl expected to miss the remainder of the regular season. But GM Stan Bowman offered cautious optimism Wednesday, telling Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman that if everything goes as scheduled, the 30-year-old German centre could be back before the regular season ends. No surgery is required. For a team with Stanley Cup aspirations, the distinction between "out for the season" and "back in time for the stretch run" matters enormously, particularly when the player in question had posted 35 goals and 62 assists across 65 games this season.

Draisaitl, picked third overall in the 2014 draft, was the NHL's dominant offensive force in 2019-20, when his 110 points led the entire league and earned him both the Hart Memorial Trophy and the Ted Lindsay Award. He's since helped push Edmonton to back-to-back Stanley Cup Final appearances. Losing him for any stretch of the playoff race is a genuine structural problem, not just a line-combination headache.

The Oilers didn't wait long to find out how they'd manage. In their first game without him, they beat San Jose 5-3 on Tuesday and climbed into a first-place tie in the Pacific Division with the Anaheim Ducks. The lineup reshuffling was significant: Vasily Podkolzin moved up to skate alongside Connor McDavid and Matt Savoie on the top line, while Ryan Nugent-Hopkins slid back to centre on the second unit between Zach Hyman and Jack Roslovic. Adam Henrique anchored the fourth line with Max Jones and Trent Frederic.

Järventie's recall fills the immediate roster hole, though radio reporter Bob Stauffer noted the emergency designation is tied to an illness in the organization rather than solely to the Draisaitl move. Josh Samanski and Max Jones are also up on emergency recalls, with the Oilers still holding four regular recall slots.

The 23-year-old Finn has earned the call. Acquired in July 2024 from Ottawa alongside a fourth-round pick in exchange for Xavier Bourgault and Jake Chiasson, Järventie has put together 36 points including 17 goals in 52 AHL games with Bakersfield this season. It's the most games he's played in a single season since posting 30 points in 40 games for the Belleville Senators in 2022-23, a run interrupted in 2023-24 when a dislocated right knee ended his year after just 22 AHL games and seven NHL appearances with Ottawa.

"I feel like as the year has gone on, I've kind of got my legs underneath me again. I feel more confident skating and making plays, and it's elevated my game," Järventie said. "I always knew if I stayed healthy, I'd have a chance."

Cult of Hockey's Ira Cooper put Järventie's production in context: "James Hamblin aside, Jarventie has been the Condors best forward for two months. He plays a strong board game and can fit in on the fourth line or up the lineup." Stauffer agreed, calling Järventie and Hamblin the best Condors forwards over the past month.

With a Stanley Cup Final rematch against the Florida Panthers on the immediate schedule and Kasperi Kapanen listed as a game-time decision at Thursday's morning skate, the Oilers are navigating a significant injury crunch at precisely the wrong moment. Everything now hinges on whether Bowman's optimism about Draisaitl's timeline holds.