Leon Draisaitl's season-ending injury reveals the catastrophic math of the Oilers' unprotected draft pick

The Edmonton Oilers have been on the cusp of a Stanley Cup for a number of years now, and while they've fallen short in the past two seasons, many believed that 2025/26 could be their year.

As of right now, the team sit at 33-26-9, good for third place in the Pacific Division, and unfortunately on Tuesday, the worst was confirmed as the team revealed that Leon Draisaitl will miss the remainder of the regular season.

While that's a brutal blow that could come back to haunt Edmonton in the next six weeks, it's fantastic news for the San Jose Sharks, a team that hold the Oilers first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft after acquiring it in the Jake Walman deal.

Unfortunately for Edmonton, after they moved their 2027 first-round pick, the one in the upcoming draft became unprotected, meaning that if the Sharks can pass the Oilers or if Edmonton struggle, they could miss the playoffs entirely and make this an incredible pick for a division rival.

One of the Oilers biggest issues in converting their roster into a Stanley Cup winning one in the past few years has been the lack of prospects coming through, and after giving up several first-round picks, this is a team that continues to lack young, rising stars of the future.

Ultimately, this pick was gone the moment the Oilers moved their 2027 first-round pick, but with the team struggling and Draisaitl now out, it looks worse and worse for the team as they look to find answers and build a contender around captain Connor McDavid.

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