The Edmonton Oilers expect star forward Leon Draisaitl to return to the team on Saturday when they host the Washington Capitals, coach Kris Knoblauch said Thursday.
Draisaitl, 30, missed his fourth consecutive game on Thursday against the Pittsburgh Penguins after taking a leave of absence on Jan. 17 to attend to a family illness in his native Germany.
He has 25 goals and 42 assists in 48 games this season. Draisaitl has not played since a 1-0 home loss to the New York Islanders on Jan. 15.
Draisaitl led the league last season with 52 goals and was third with 106 points. He added 33 points (11 goals, 22 assists) in 22 postseason games as the Oilers advanced to the Stanley Cup Final against Florida for the second consecutive year. The Panthers successfully defended their title, winning the series in six games.
A five-time All-Star, Draisaitl has 1,023 career points (424 goals, 599 assists) and a plus-95 rating in 838 regular-season games over 12 years. Edmonton selected him third overall in the 2014 NHL Draft and he made his league debut that season.
In 2019-20, Draisaitl won the Ted Lindsay Award as most outstanding player, the Art Ross Trophy as top points scorer and the Hart Memorial Trophy as Most Valuable Player.
