Oilers' Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl played hurt in postseason

Oilers' Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl played hurt in postseason

ByABC News

June 26, 2024, 7:39 PM

EDMONTON, Alberta -- Edmonton Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said Wednesday that some of the team's top stars were playing through injuries during their Stanley Cup playoff run.

Knoblauch said Leon Draisaitl had hand and rib injuries that left staff questioning whether he could play, forward Evander Kane had a sports hernia, and captain Connor McDavid was also playing hurt.

"Certain times, it was worse than others, but there was games where we were not sure if he was going to play," Knoblauch said of Draisaitl. "But he fought through it and played very well in those games."

Knoblauch declined to disclose what ailment McDavid, the Conn Smythe Trophy winner as playoff MVP, was dealing with, saying that was best left to the team's medical staff.

The Oilers lost Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final to the Florida Panthers on Monday night.

The game capped a roller-coaster season that had Edmonton start with a 3-9-1 record, fire head coach Jay Woodcroft and install Knoblauch in his place.

Under the new bench boss, the Oilers went on a 16-game win streak and finished second in the Pacific Division with a 49-27-6 record.

"I think we have a good foundation to make a run like this next season and years beyond, but a lot of things have to line up and I am very confident in us having that opportunity," Knoblauch said. "I am not guaranteeing anything, but I think that we have a good team and could be in the same situation and being able to win that last game."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.