Leon Draisaitl has been nothing but fire and star power for the Edmonton Oilers throughout this year's playoffs, but he might be battling something much deeper, and it's an injury.
Draisaitl leads the NHL playoff scoring with 24 points through 12 games and has clearly been the Edmonton Oilers most valuable player throughout the first two rounds.
Draisaitl was banged up at the end of the Vancouver Canucks series following taking a shot from Canucks forward Connor Garland, off his hand.
But now it appears that his injury has been exposed online, and the images were quickly deleted by the Edmonton Oilers after fans noticed Draisaitl had some sort of finger brace on his hand.
Fans quickly pointed it out and the social media manager of the Edmonton Oilers Twitter quickly deleted the post, the Internet was too quick to catch on and if the Oilers opponents, the Dallas Stars, know the injury, that's a serious advantage.
We are unsure how long Draisaitl play with his finger as that could mean it is broken, but this may be a golden opportunity out of a poor situation for Corey Perry, who is riding the bench right now.
Corey Perry has 1,300 NHL games underneath his belt and Stanley Cup ring with the Anaheim ducks in 2007, sliding in the lineup for Draisaitl and his position easily and could give the Oilers security if they lose their playoff MVP.
Corey Perry won't have the same effect as Leon, but Perry will provide security in a reliable role from Draisaitl that will be missing from the lineup if he ends up going down.
POLL | ||
Would the Oilers be able to beat the Dallas Stars if this star player is done for the year? | ||
Yes | 314 | 62.7 % |
No | 187 | 37.3 % |
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