Many fans likely will not be surprised to hear that both Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl played through some pretty significant injuries in these playoffs. Draisaitl, in particular, was hampered by injuries to his hand and ribs. It seems as though he may have had a broken rib and bone in his hand. Apparently, it was so bad, Knoblauch and the rest of the coaching staff were not sure if he would even be playing on a nightly basis.
Despite the Oilers' huge advance into the playoffs, these injuries were still kept secret. Fans have theorized that McDavid had some kind of hand injury due to his decreased shot volume in the last two series. However, Knoblauch did confirm that Evander Kane had a hernia, a fact that Kane himself had disclosed before the playoffs began.
Many feel that all these injuries heavily impacted the Oilers performance in the playoffs and that may be true. If their star players were at full health, they may have been able to clinch the victory and win the cup, but that's in the past now, and we'll never truly know.
