Connor McDavid is at the Olympics to bring home a gold medal for Canada. And one expects that, for Germany, Leon Draisaitl has similar dreams about the outcome of the Olympic Hockey tournament in Milan, Italy. Both stars from the Edmonton Oilers have incredible abilities and can directly affect the outcome of any game in which they play.
Both players are having individual success. McDavid is tied for the tournament scoring lead, and Draisaitl is producing at approximately the same pace he has this National Hockey League season. In two games, he has 1 goal and 2 assists. He's been a scoring threat and a playmaker.
Draisaitl is elite with or without McDavid
Truthfully, he's playing on a first line with other German NHL stars, so the drop off isn't exactly a cliff, but thus far, Draisaitl has created offense and limited opposing chances against. Everyone knows about his abilities on the powerplay, but this is more significantly evidenced by his two even strength points matched up with his +2 rating. When Draisaitl is on the ice, Germany is the team on the attack.
Granted, the German opponents have been Denmark and Latvia. Neither is a medal contender, and the Latvians found their way to a win against Germany, but most teams in the tournament have NHL players on their roster, and Draisaitl is surely seeing the best defenders on every shift.
Depth matters
Without disparaging the bottom end of the German roster, it's fair to state that there's a significant drop off in talent. While Moritz Seider might play 28 minutes every night, that still leaves another 32 where a less talented player is in his place.
Similarly, when Draisaitl is on the bench, the likes of Dominik Kahun and Tobias Rieder are taking shifts. Oilers fans should have familiarity with both players, and we can agree that neither of them is a threat to score at 1.5 points per game. Realistically, a German medal win would take a miracle.
The Connor Browns and Mattias Janmarks on the roster had a lot to do with the two deep playoff runs for the Oilers last year and the year prior. Edmonton needs to add depth at both ends prior to the deadline if they want to find their way back to the championship rounds of the playoffs.
Goaltending matters
Germany has Philipp Grubauer, Stanley Cup Champion and Vezina nominee, as their number one goaltender. Those accolades and accomplishments are fading in the rearview mirror however, and he's been a sub .900 goaltender for the entirety of his run with the Seattle Kraken.
That's been the case as the German national netminder, and surely played a role in the loss to Latvia. His team needed one or two more timely saves to put themselves in a much better spot in the standings. Back here in Edmonton, Stuart Skinner was inconsistent, especially in the post-season, and Tristan Jarry, when healthy, hasn't looked like much of an upgrade.
Oilers management needs to look hard at the position and decide if they can afford to leave it as it stands.
How lucky are we?
Let's just pause a moment to recognize the supreme pleasure it is watching two superstars start out as rookies and perform in Oiler silks through the prime of their careers. The collectively held breath when the Draisaitl and McDavid are on the ice in overtime; The virtual guarantee that a powerplay for the home team means Edmonton will be celebrating a goal in the next two minutes; these moments are a gift that many fanbases can only dream of.
For the moment, it gives us two countries to cheer for in Milan, and with luck we'll watch them take their final step in the pursuit of a Stanley cup this spring. McDavid handing the Cup to Draisaitl, his friend and fellow superstar, would be an almost perfect Hollywood ending.