Edmonton Oilers: Leon Draisaitl needs to get going

By Carson Trask | Oct 19, 2018

LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 7: Leon Draisaitl /

With the Edmonton Oilers getting off to a slow start this season, there has been plenty of finger pointing at Leon Draisaitl.

From coaching to management to the defense struggling and everything in between there is plenty of blame to go around with the Edmonton Oilers. A major story line is the lack of impact from Leon Draisaitl. His poor play is a major concern going forward.

The Edmonton Oilers expect a lot from Draisaitl. Being the second line center, behind Connor McDavid, gives Draisaitl matchups against the opposing teams weaker defense pairings. All of the attention goes to stopping McDavid. Draisaitl has the ability to take advantage of second pairing D, but he just isn’t doing that to this point. His two assists against Winnipeg was a good start, but there is plenty of room for improvement.

The linemates Draisaitl had been playing with didn’t exactly do him any favors. Milan Lucic has never been a player that can drive the play and Kailer Yamamoto has yet to find his footing in the NHL. Still, when paying a player $8.5 million per season it should be expected that they can carry a line.

It isn’t fair to McDavid to be expected to drag the team to where it wants to go. He needs help, with Draisaitl being the player that needs to step up. The time is now for the 22-year-old to take his game to another level.

No longer sheltered

Through Draisaitl’s first four seasons in the NHL, the Oilers gave him drastically sheltered minutes. According to hockey-reference, Draisaitl was given a 79 oZS% ( offensive zone start percentage) in year 1, 55 oZS% in year 2, 54 oZS% in his third season and a 55 oZS% last season and drastically down to 41.7 oZS% this season.

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Young, skilled players, such as Draisaitl get these high offensive zone start percentages because although they have the skill to play in the NHL, their 200-foot game needs development. Draisaitl’s strength is playing in the offensive zone. Todd McLellan should temporarily go back to sheltering Draisaitl to try and get him going. Confidence is crucial in professional sports and right now Draisaitl looks to be lacking it.

After an outstanding playoff, Draisaitl was given a contract higher than he should have. You can’t fault the player for accepting life-changing money, but with it comes high expectations. So far Draisaitl hasn’t lived up to those raised expectations.

Plan Going Forward

Three games into the season and already the call for Draisailt to play on McDavid’s line is getting louder. Right now, that isn’t the course of actions the Oilers should take. The McDavid line has looked plenty good enough to warrant staying together for the time being.

There is no reason why Draisaitl can’t drive his own line. The ability is there, the consistency is not. McLellan needs to give him linemates that match with his skill. Lucic struggles to keep up with the play, and Yamamoto needs more time to develop. Jesse Puljujarvi has fit in nicely on Draisaitl’s line. Those two need to continue playing together going forward.

Getting both players kick-started should be the main priority going forward. Scoring from the second line is vital to the Oilers having a successful season. McDavid shouldn’t have to do it all himself every night. A simple lineup shuffle has the ability to kill two birds with one stone. Puljujarvi needs to play higher in the lineup and Draisaitl needs a more adequate linemate to play with.

Final Thoughts

Leon Draisaitl is a really good player, but a really good player that looks out of sorts right now, searching to get his confidence back. The Oilers desperately need him to find his game. Secondary scoring separates the pretenders from the contenders and without Draisaitl’s production, the Oilers are going to be a pretender this season.

While Draisailt deserves some of the blame for his lackluster start, Todd McLellan deserves some as well. Is it wise playing him with Lucic, who’s best days are long gone and Yamamoto, who is still trying to steady himself in the NHL? Hockey players crave chemistry and this line doesn’t appear to have any. Change was needed.

The best way to try and get Draisaitl’s confidence back is by putting in situations he can thrive. Starting a majority of his shifts in the D zone is putting him in an uncomfortable position, where he is chasing the play. Leave the D zone starts to the bottom six. That’s their role. In the near future Draisaitl could be a solid two-way player, but right now the focus needs to be on getting his offensive productivity going.

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Now is not the time to panic, but the warning signs are there. The Oilers need players to step their game up in a hurry or a repeat of last season is on the horizon.