Much has been made of the Edmonton Oilers' early exit from the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Was the goaltending good enough? Was there enough defensive depth? Did Connor McDavid's injury prevent him from being the superhuman we've come to expect. But an aspect that didn't receive nearly enough attention was the play off alternate captain Leon Draisaitl.
Even if we ignore the fact that Draisaitl's late season injury is the biggest reason why the team missed out on a Pacific Division title, his output and dogged play upon returning was incredible. Through six games versus the Anaheim Ducks, Draisaitl managed three goals and seven assists, for ten total points. He directed 13 shots on goal and had a faceoff win rate of 54.7 percent.
One player can't win a series
Draisaitl admittedly had a minus-2 in plus/minus. But his captain had a minus-8, and there can be little question that the Oilers as a team allowed Anaheim far too many scoring opportunities, and goals as well. Blame has to be shared, and few on the team produced as much positive scoring as Draisaitl.
At no point did he appear to be hampered by his late season injury. He was a threat to score from his first shift in the playoffs and if the Oilers' other top-six players had managed similar performances, their goaltending troubles might not even have mattered. As it was, Draisaitl's name remained at or near the top of the playoff scoring chart through the next round of play.
Get Better
Draisaitl's postseason press conference was refreshingly honest, if slightly self-deprecating. It's obvious to fans who have watched him throughout his career that he is always looking for ways to improve his play. That model, along with McDavid's ingenuity, speed and breath-taking skill, should mean the Oilers aren't that far from becoming a Cup favorite once again.
We only need to look at the Colorado Avalanche to see that even a team for whom all the stars seemed to have aligned can face playoff disappointment. The elimination probably stung Nathan Mackinnon and company even harder, because of the weight of expectation placed on them by their stellar regular season and President's Trophy win.
As we've said in so many end-of-season articles, the pressure now lands on general manager Stan Bowman to put pieces in place around Draisaitl etc. so that the team can find consistency in the regular season and then shoot for the stars in the playoffs once again.
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