No one will ever dispute Connor McDavid's standing as the best player on the Oilers roster (and arguably still in the NHL as a whole). However, you can make the genuine case that Leon Draisaitl has been the top performer in Edmonton so far in 2024-25.
Armed with a new deal which has the highest annual average in NHL history at $14 million per year -- albeit it doesn't kick in until next season -- some wondered how Draisaitl would respond. Well, based on the first two months of the 2024-25 campaign, he's better than ever.
The 2019-20 campaign was a special one for Draisaitl, as he became the first German-born player in NHL history to take home the Hart Trophy, Ted Lindsay Award and Art Trophy. Whisper it quietly, but he could well be in line for a similar haul of individual accolades this season.
Top of the heap in the NHL
Consider that as of Friday morning, the five-time NHL All-Star leads the NHL with 23 goals and is second overall among all players, with 50 total points. Through 32 games he's projected to finish the season with 59 goals and a +46 rating, which would both be career bests. (He is also projected for 128 total points, which would equal his career-high set in 2022-23.)
Further showing just how special Draisaitl is this season, consider the way he stepped up to the challenge when McDavid was out for three games through injury. The Oilers won two of the three contests, and their alternate captain produced three goals, six overall points and a +5 rating.
The 29-year-old's latest performance saw him equal a season-high, with three assists in a 3-2 overtime comeback win against the Boston Bruins on Thursday night. However, the feeling is that this was not entirely appreciated, as he somehow wasn't among the game's Three Stars despite arguably being the best player on the night.
Not that Draisaitl is bothered about such things, with his main focus being on helping the team win and preparing for another run at the Stanley Cup come playoff time. Certainly he and the team are playing well of late, with nine wins in their last 11 contests.
Getting it done against the best
This excellent sequence of results includes winning four of the past five games, with all five of the opponents ranking among the top 11 in the NHL. On an individual level, Draisaitl piled up 14 points in this time, with at least two points in all five contests.
To perform so well despite facing the Tampa Bay Lightning, Minnesota Wild, Vegas Golden Knights, Florida Panthers and Boston Bruins, speaks volumes about Draisaitl and this Edmonton Oilers team. As per Shane Jones of The Canadian Press, he said:
"It was a tough stretch with really good teams coming in here. All in the top 10 or top 12. It tells me that we can beat any team on any given night. It should give us a lot of confidence going forward."
A special night for Draisaitl
As much as the 2014 third overall draft pick is all about the team, Thursday night was still significant for him on an individual level. His three assists took him to 900 points for his NHL career, coming in his 11th season and 751st game, thus representing the fifth-fastest rate of any player born outside North America
Draisaitl is the sixth player in Oilers history to reach 900 points, and he is now just six points shy of Glenn Anderson in fifth place. Given the length of his new contract in Edmonton, he should only trail Wayne Gretzky and McDavid at most when it's all said and done.
The left-shot forward is pleased with his accomplishment, but also knows he couldn't have done it without his teammates. As per Jamie Umbach of NHL.com, he said:
"Yeah, it feels good. It's a hard league, and you learn a lot along the way. Every day, you truly learn something new, so I'm proud of myself, but you can't get to those milestones without teammates and guys trusting you and coaches trusting you. So a big thank you goes out to everyone that (has) helped along the way."
Oilers teammates show some love
As complimentary as Draisaitl was about his teammates, they were just as glowing in their praise of him. Again as per Umback, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins said:
"It's pretty incredible at his age and where he's at in his career to have 900 points. It's an extremely hard thing to do and a hard thing to accomplish, and you see the work he puts in every day to be able to do that."
Oilers top defenceman Mattias Ekholm was similarly complimentary, praising his teammate for his work and productivity at both ends of the ice. Again as per Jones, he said:
"He’s a sniper but he’s also a stud for us defensively and he takes a lot of faceoffs. That’s what impresses me most about his game. There is no situation where he isn’t first over the boards."
The Oilers find themselves fifth in the Western Conference as of Friday morning, seven points off top spot and with two games in hand on the first-placed Winnipeg Jets. Where they end up this regular season is of course still open to debate, but if Draisaitl has anything to do with it and based on his form thus far, they'll once again be in the mix for a Stanley Cup Final berth once the playoffs begin.