Top priority for the Oilers isn’t winning the division – it’s making sure McDavid, Draisaitl are healthy

Mar 25, 2025, 15:00 EDT

Credit: Jan 15, 2025; Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA; Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl (29) and forward Connor McDavid (97) talk before a face-off against the Minnesota Wild during the third period at Xcel Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Nick Wosika-Imagn Images

Though they are in the heat of a division title race, the Edmonton Oilers should probably worry about the status of their two biggest stars.

The team is currently tied for second place in the Pacific Division with the Los Angeles Kings, five points behind the Vegas Golden Knights for first. However, a bigger concern in northern Alberta is the health of captain Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.

The dynamic duo missed this past Saturday’s game against the Seattle Kraken and are both projected to miss Edmonton’s next three games. McDavid and Draisaitl were scheduled to undergo imaging late last week to get a better idea of the extent of their injuries.

While the team would love to obtain home-ice advantage again come the postseason, if not challenge for first in the Pacific, making sure two of the best players in the world might be a bigger priority.

On Tuesday’s edition of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Frank Seravalli and Tyler Yaremchuk discuss what the Oilers focus should be over the coming weeks.

Frank Seravalli: The goal for [the Oilers] should be to get these players to 100, or as close to reasonably to 100% health. That’s all that matters. You’ve got, especially if you’re Edmonton, two of the best players in the world that are the best playoff performers of all time. They’re in that conversation now without having a Stanley Cup with their points and production.

As well as this team could potentially play, and you say, ‘Hey, how great would it be for the Oilers, if so-and-so steps up to help get them to home-ice advantage or whatever, that’s great’ … there’s going to be so many lineup changes that happen, adding back in [Draisaitl], [McDavid], Trent Frederic and Evander Kane for the playoffs that like whatever continuity you might have, like they’ve got some tough choices to make, I think, once you’re on the backside of that. So, I wouldn’t focus on seating standings … because your run is going to be very short. If those guys aren’t up to speed.

You can watch the full segment and entire episode here…