The Edmonton Oilers have lost Leon Draisaitl to an unfortunate injury for at least the next three games, which could threaten his case for the Hart Trophy this season.
Draisaitl has been the favourite for the MVP award for most of this year, and his case would be near undeniable with a 60 goal season - but the injury may prevent that from happening.
Leon Draisaitl's injury may threaten MVP case for this season
Draisaitl has already missed two games with his injury, and now after being ruled out for at least three more games , it may give another Hart contender like Nathan MacKinnon enough time to pull ahead in the race.
Draisaitl is currently at 49 goals and 101 points in only 68 games - and incredible season in a year scoring has been down across the NHL and on the Oilers.
Not only that, but Draisaitl has put up these numbers in a year where he's played alongside struggling wingers at 5 on 5. Connor McDavid has also had a down scoring year by his standards, whereas Draisaitl has dominated.
Despite this injury, it could still be argued that Draisaitl does deserve the MVP this season.
It may come down to the stretch of the season - how much MacKinnon scores while Draisaitl is out, and if Leon can reach 60 goals in the final weeks of the season.
Hopefully Draisaitl can make a quick return, come back fully healthy and years up the league to seal his second Hart Trophy. It would be incredibly unfortunate if this latest injury held him back.
