Leon Draisaitl needs to step up for Oilers in Connor McDavid’s absence
By Edward Eng
In the wake of Connor McDavid’s recent injury, Leon Draisaitl needs to step up his game for the Edmonton Oilers to have any success right now.
Over the past few years, the Edmonton Oilers have had the dynamic duo of Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid help lead the team to many victories while establishing long-term success at the same time. Together, they have been an unstoppable force, with opposing teams having trouble deciding who they should concentrate on stopping every night.
However, with the recent upper-body injury to McDavid, it should be Draisaitl’s time to step up and shine for the Oilers while their captain is on the sidelines. Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case so far in the two games following the injury.
Is Draisaitl getting it done without McDavid in the Oilers’ lineup?
In the first game against the Minnesota Wild, Draisaitl had a decent performance with two assists and two shots on goal. However, the Wild scored five goals in the third period en route to a 7-4 rout over the Oilers.
In the following game against the New York Rangers, the Oilers came up empty-handed as they were shutout 3-0. Draisaitl failed to get on the scoresheet, but had his chances along with three shots on goal.
The Oilers have already had a rough start to the season, going 1-5-1 out of the gate. With McDavid out, they have lost two straight games.
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To understand how significant McDavid is to the team, the Oilers hold a 19-24-9 record and a power play success rate of only 14.7% without him in the lineup. By comparison, the Oilers are 302-222-50 mark and a stellar 24.9% power play success rate when he is in the lineup.
On the bright side, the last time McDavid was out for an extended period of time in 2019-20 because of a quad injury, Draisaitl did manage to pick up the slack. He had four goals and eight assists in six games, helping the Oilers to a 3-2-1 winning record. *
As a result, it is critical as the main driving force for the Oilers’ offence right now, that Draisaitl will need to up his game once again to help fill the void left by McDavid. That way, the rest of the group can have the confidence and belief they can still win without their captain and that they could be that much better when he comes back. Otherwise, if they keep floundering like they are now, sad to say, but the season could potentially be already half-lost by the time McDavid rejoins the team.
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* Editor’s note – That same season would see Draisaitl take home the Art Ross Trophy, as the NHL’s leading goalscorer. He also won the Hart Memorial Trophy and Ted Lindsay Award, becoming the first German player to win all three awards.