Edmonton Oilers Participating In All-Star Weekend
This coming weekend it is the NHL All-Star weekend. This is a great opportunity to see the league’s best players showcase the skill that they have. This year there are two Edmonton Oilers being sent to the event, obviously the players Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid.
Leon Draisaitl
Leon Draisaitl currently sits second in the league in scoring with 63 points one point behind Florida Panthers left winger Jonathan Huberdeau who has 64. Even though Draisaitl is only one point back he has played 5 less games. In players that have played 20 or more games Draisaitl is 1st in points per game with 1.5 P/GP, whereas Huberdeau has a 1.36 P/GP
Leon is also second in the NHL in goals with 32, 1 behind New York Rangers Chris Kreider who has 33. Just like the point’s race Kreider has played 5 more games than Leon Draisaitl. Draisaitl’s 0.76 G/GP is much better than Kreider’s 0.70 G/GP. For perspective if they keep this rate after 82 games Draisaitl will have 62 goals where Kreider will have 57. I honestly don’t think either of these players will keep that exact pace, but I would believe that if either of them do it is more likely to be Leon Draisaitl.
Leon’s goal scoring ability should be on full display this weekend. Not only will his skill be on display in the All-Star games, but he will also be a participant in one of the Skills Competitions. He will be featured in the NHL Accuracy Shooting.
He will be battling against 7 other All-Stars. The players he will be going against are Arizona Coyotes forward Clayton Keller, Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin, Hurricanes forward Sebastian Aho, Penguins forward Jake Guentzel, Ducks forward Troy Terry, Calgary Flames forward Johnny Gaudreau, Boston Bruins forward Patrice Bergeron and Golden Knights forward Jonathan Marchessault.
This is a line-up of very skilled players. As much as Leon Draisaitl is probably the best goal scorer in the group that does equate to victory in these games. I would still expect him to finish near the top of the standing, but don’t hold your breath for a victory on this one.
Connor McDavid
Connor McDavid is the Edmonton Oilers best player and there isn’t much of an argument against that. The only thing this so far this season that is a little bit lagging is his point totals. He is currently tied for 3rd in the leagues point standings. He is tied with Nazem Kadri from the Colorado Avalanche.
The difference between Kadri’s season and McDavid’s season is McDavid is having a poor start to the season, while Kadri is having an excellent start to their own expectations. At 1.46 P/GP both of them are still on a pretty good pace for the end of the season. McDavid has 4 more goals than Kadri whereas Kadri has 4 more assists.
Like I said before there is no doubt that anyone in the world would choose Connor McDavid over Kadri, but that doesn’t mean Kadri isn’t having a good season. It is just McDavid has the ability to take over a game if he applies his will. Same goes with his end to end rushes. Kardi isn’t doing things like that.
It is this set of skill that have made Connor McDavid the captain of the Pacific Division team. To be a captain of a team of All-Stars solidifies you as one of the league’s best players. The other captains are Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews (Atlantic Division), Colorado Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon (Central Division), and Philadelphia Flyers forward Claude Giroux (Metropolitan Division). Giroux became the captain after Alex Ovechkin was place on the COVID protocol list earlier this week.
Connor McDavid will be doing what he does best in the Skills Competition and that is skating fast. McDavid will be participating in and likely winning the Fastest Skater Competition. He will be trying to beat New York Rangers forward Chris Kreider, Los Angeles Kings forward Adrian Kempe, Winnipeg Jets forward Kyle Connor, Washington Capitals forward Evgeny Kuznetsov, St. Louis Blues forward Jordan Kyrou, Detroit Red Wings forward Dylan Larkin, and Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar.
These players are not slouches when it comes to skating. It is just a fact that Connor McDavid is in fact the fastest skater. So unlike Leon Draisaitl who is in tough to win his event, this is Connor McDavid’s event to lose.
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