Edmonton Oilers star striker Leon Draisaitl played most of the NHL postseason with a sprained ankle, according to general manager Ken Holland.
Draisaitl had refused to officially confirm the news before Holland finally did so during his mid-season mid-season availability on Wednesday. Holland said Draisaitl was injured in a collision with LA Kings striker Mikey Anderson in Game 6 of the Edmonton first-round playoff series.
Draisaitl battled the pain until Edmonton were eliminated by Colorado in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals on Monday.
During that 10-game stretch after his injury, Draisaitl ran the entire NHL playoff field in offensive production with two goals and 24 points. He also recorded three or more points in seven postseason positions, becoming the second player in NHL history to do so, and set an NHL record for most consecutive multi-assist games with six in a row.
When asked what injury he was treating, Draisaitl had said he would “not do it for me” when so many players were battling illness.
“I’m sure everyone saw the video, the clip of what happened,” Draisaitl said Tuesday. “I’m sure you can find out what kind of injury was watching the clip.”
Other Oilers who suffered injuries in the postseason were Darnell Nurse (broken hip flexor), Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (shoulder) and Jesse Puljujarvi (shoulder), while Kailer Yamamoto was on concussion protocol after receiving a time before the Colorado series. Holland said he does not believe anyone requires out-of-season surgery.