The Edmonton Oilers have only ever had one player on the cover of EA Sports NHL video game series. Going all the way back to 1991, there have been many NHL legends and current stars gracing the cover and with many being repeated. Alex Ovechkin, Jonathan Toews, and Auston Matthews have all appeared on two covers of Chel — As the game is referred to by many. However, NHL superstar Connor McDavid has only appeared once, for NHL 18.
It has now been eight years since then and he has not been back on the cover and no other Oiler has appeared on the cover either. It was even recently announced that Florida Panthers forward, Matthew Tkachuk will be on the cover for the game’s next iteration, NHL 26.
Throughout the last 35 years, the Oilers have had numerous high end draft picks, leading scorers, and major award winners. The club has also made the cup finals three times over that span. Unfortunately, due to a lack of star power throughout much of that time as well as some on-ice and off-ice struggles, the club has not had too many eligible candidates. Until now.
There is one Oilers player who has yet to be a cover athlete for the EA NHL series that is definitely deserving, Leon Draisaitl.
Leon Draisaitl should be a cover athlete
Drafted Third Overall in the 2014 NHL Draft, Draisaitl would undoubtedly go number one if there was a redraft. He has blossomed into one of the league's most dominant goal scorers, surpassing 50 four of the past seven seasons. For his efforts, he captured the Rocket Richard Trophy as the league's leading scorer for this past season, putting it alongside his stacked trophy cabinet.
He has also won an Art Ross Trophy, Ted Lindsay Award, and Hart Memorial Trophy all in 2019-20 and may soon be able to add an Olympic medal in 2026. His trophy case is already full but he has been looking to hockey's most prized award, the Stanley Cup for the past two years and is poised to chase it again this upcoming year.
He has also made strides to add a two-way element to his game and commit to the defensive side of the ice more than he did earlier in his career. This has bore out in his underlying analytics but also gaining votes and a sixth place finish for the Frank J. Selke award as one of the NHL's top defensive forwards.
There is very little justification needed for Draisaitl's high end play. When he retires, he will go down as the greatest German hockey player in history of the sport and one of the best, destined to make the Hockey Hall of Fame. This and much more makes him a perfect candidate to be placed on the cover of the NHL video game series.