Player Discussion Leon "Dr Drai" Draisaitl: The Next Episode

[Chef de Cuisine]

Well... he's aight

 

[Gord]

5/5 PPG leaders in the NHL

1. Marchand .97 PPG
2. McDavid .94 PPG
3. MacKinnon.88PPG
4. Draisaitl .85PPG
5. Matthews .82PPG
6. Kucherov .81PPG
Next time someone *****es about Draisaitl again needs a cuff across the head

that's about where he should be. when critiquing Draisaitl, I now take his salary into account. he's being paid as one of the best players in the NHL, so I hold him to a higher standard of play. he makes 9 million dollars this year. I don't want a good, solid player. I want a top performer. that's the expectation.

one of the things I expect from Leon Draisaitl is to be a ppg player over all. I don't care how or when he gets his points but for 9 million, I don't think that's too much to ask.

 

[ThePhoenixx]

He is already worth his contract. It's going to be a huge bargain in a couple years. Attack Chia all you want but this is going to be a heck of a signing.

 

[Drivesaitl]

that's about where he should be. when critiquing Draisaitl, I now take his salary into account. he's being paid as one of the best players in the NHL, so I hold him to a higher standard of play. he makes 9 million dollars this year. I don't want a good, solid player. I want a top performer. that's the expectation.

one of the things I expect from Leon Draisaitl is to be a ppg player over all. I don't care how or when he gets his points but for 9 million, I don't think that's too much to ask.

With all due respect caphit is 8.5M Average on contract is 8.5M. you are correct that the salary is 9M this season but most comparisons go on caphit, not how the contract is structured.

Next, this is of course Draisaitl still at young learning stage. That he is advancing in leaps and bounds (his focus on all zone play this season has been very good) even in the last game he's back as a forward, last man back, and he stopped a dangerous player in his tracks. It was forward on forward, normally gravy, and Drai stood him up like he was Darnell Nurse back there. The player shoots it in knowing he's got nothing.. Not in isolation either. Leon is making own zone strips and is counter balancing a linemate that is throwing the puck to opposition 5 times a game.

Point being Drai is getting better, in all aspects of the game. If your saying he makes 9m now then it by going on salary he makes 8M later and barring injury will probably be exceeding worth as the contract term progresses. Generally if you have a young star player signed to a long contract the first couple of years you may not get all that contractual worth but as NHL salary cap increases, and players acumen increases you generally get the worth.

Considering Drai is a giant power forward and basically impossible to even physically contain the sky is the limit with this guy. Amazing skillsets, one of the best passers in the game, and a physical ox with a nose for physical play. Theres a lot of asset here.

 

[MinimaMoralia]

All he needs is the infinity gauntlet.

 

[McNuge]

I'll probably get roasted for this, but I don't think Drai is too far off from McDavid in terms of importance to this team, McDavid is just much flashier. Going forward these 2 are our pillars and I for 1 couldn't be happier. Big C/W who can win faceoffs, has a great shot (that he under utilizes), can get real mean, and passes better on his backhand than 90% of the league can pass on their forehand. Very talented player that I feel has been dragged down due to expectations because of contract. Watching the last few games and seeing him set up his line mates with solid opportunities only to see them f*** it up. He is truly a special talent that will be a top player in the league for a long time. Maybe not the Malkin to Crosby but he isn't too far off when all is said and done.

 

[Canovin]

All he needs is the infinity gauntlet.

This is not the 616-universe so it'll be useless

 

[Bryanbryoil]

He is returning to stud status. If we can get Connor and Leon some decent wingers, this team will be a damn good one. What I like about Leon is that he can play in a heavy checking and physical game and still get his points. He's a great compliment to Connor's speed and transition game. He is not overpaid, nor is he a product of Connor. I'm glad to see him back to his dominant self again.

 

[M C D A V I D]

He is returning to stud status. If we can get Connor and Leon some decent wingers, this team will be a damn good one. What I like about Leon is that he can play in a heavy checking and physical game and still get his points. He's a great compliment to Connor's speed and transition game. He is not overpaid, nor is he a product of Connor. I'm glad to see him back to his dominant self again.

He's not overpaid but if we had a better GM he could've easily been "underpaid" (i.e Pasrtnak - regardless of being a C, he's not almost 2mill more valuable than Pastrnak) and god knows how much we could use any and all cap savings. It especially screws us in future contract negotiations with other players because the comparison is higher.

By the same token, it's not the Mcdavid and Drai contracts that are a problem. It's the other overpaid bums on the team we are stuck with.

 

[ThePhoenixx]

You can really tell that he hates losing.

 

[McNuge]

You can really tell that he hates losing.

Wish some more players on this team felt that way about losing.

 

[Fourier]

He's not overpaid but if we had a better GM he could've easily been "underpaid" (i.e Pasrtnak - regardless of being a C, he's not almost 2mill more valuable than Pastrnak) and god knows how much we could use any and all cap savings. It especially screws us in future contract negotiations with other players because the comparison is higher.

By the same token, it's not the Mcdavid and Drai contracts that are a problem. It's the other overpaid bums on the team we are stuck with.

I suspect the best you were going to do on an 8 year deal would have been $7.5M. And while I agree that the additional money on the cap is important for at least the next two years, if he plays like he has this year his contract will be no big deal for most of his term. Realistically any 8 year deal on a young player can be expected to be an over pay for the first few years but what you want is for it to be a bargain for at least as many years.

One of the few benefits of a year like this is that player expectations on contracts should be dampened. Aside from Nurse no one on the team has a claim to a big raise and if Chia plays this right there should be room over the next few years to manage the cap while making smart moves. Of course that might be easier said than done.

 

[Mr Positive]

He's not overpaid but if we had a better GM he could've easily been "underpaid" (i.e Pasrtnak - regardless of being a C, he's not almost 2mill more valuable than Pastrnak) and god knows how much we could use any and all cap savings. It especially screws us in future contract negotiations with other players because the comparison is higher.

By the same token, it's not the Mcdavid and Drai contracts that are a problem. It's the other overpaid bums on the team we are stuck with.

I don't think the Drai contract is off of fair value at all. Drai wasn't just a center. He was a center who had quite a bit more points than Pastrnak, was way more dominant in the playoffs, and is a physically imposing player to boot. Yes, he is that much more valuable than Pastrnak, or at least he showed he was worth more than him last season.

 

[M C D A V I D]

I would have rather done a 6.5-7 x 5years to help us save ~2 mill for 5 years of a Cup run. And THEN if he proves to be a PPG player during that time pay him the 9mill/year. Right now we're paying him as if he's already an established PPG player. And although he's earning it this year IMO, there's still a risk attached to the contract because if he falters a little bit and becomes a ~65P player then he's overpaid. The risk of him becoming overpaid is more than the potential chance of him becoming underpaid.

Again, I don't think his contract is the problem. It's Lucic, Russell, Sekera (to an extent). That's 15.5mill that could be better used.

 

[Mcnotloilersfan]

The thing is, we keep hearing about how amazing Matthews is, and how much Leon is struggling. There really isn't much difference between the two guys, despite what Toronto media and HF mains want you to believe. When Players like Matthews and Tavares etc. sign their next deals, Leon's contract will look just fine!

 

[Mcnotloilersfan]

I would have rather done a 6.5-7 x 5years to help us save ~2 mill for 5 years of a Cup run. And THEN if he proves to be a PPG player during that time pay him the 9mill/year. Right now we're paying him as if he's already an established PPG player. And although he's earning it this year IMO, there's still a risk attached to the contract because if he falters a little bit and becomes a ~65P player then he's overpaid. The risk of him becoming overpaid is more than the potential chance of him becoming underpaid.

Again, I don't think his contract is the problem. It's Lucic, Russell, Sekera (to an extent). That's 15.5mill that could be better used.

I disagree. I think he's struggling this year (for Leon) but still on the surface actually having a great year. I think its more likely he takes his game up from here

 

[Mr Positive]

I would have rather done a 6.5-7 x 5years to help us save ~2 mill for 5 years of a Cup run. And THEN if he proves to be a PPG player during that time pay him the 9mill/year. Right now we're paying him as if he's already an established PPG player. And although he's earning it this year IMO, there's still a risk attached to the contract because if he falters a little bit and becomes a ~65P player then he's overpaid. The risk of him becoming overpaid is more than the potential chance of him becoming underpaid.

Again, I don't think his contract is the problem. It's Lucic, Russell, Sekera (to an extent). That's 15.5mill that could be better used.

I disagree here. If a player is going to be important to your core, you sign them as long as you can. I don't see the point in limiting the team to a 5-6 year window for success, rather than 7-8 years. Pasternak's deal is almost all RFA years, while Drai gave us those valuable UFA years.

Besides, even if Drai falters and gets 65 points (hardly a nightmare), the great thing about Drai is that he can express his value in other ways. Drai can still be a strong presence in the middle of the ice, and he can still ramp his play up in the playoffs. He's not just a pure goal scorer like Pasternak. Plus, as bets go, Drai is one of the best you can get. If he has a bad year like 65 points, it seems likely that that would be an off-year, like Kopitar had. Drai's contract is extremely low risk, and that's why it was smart to go as long term as possible.

 

[M C D A V I D]

Also kind of funny, but according to the mains, he's a winger and entirely a product of Mcdavid. Smh.

 

[Mr Positive]

Also kind of funny, but according to the mains, he's a winger and entirely a product of Mcdavid. Smh.

the dirty little secret there is that Drai is usually put with McDavid when McDavid is slumping, not the other way around. Although, in McDavid's defense the issue could be that we lack a truly great winger for him that can pull away some defensive coverage.

 

[Fourier]

I would have rather done a 6.5-7 x 5years to help us save ~2 mill for 5 years of a Cup run. And THEN if he proves to be a PPG player during that time pay him the 9mill/year. Right now we're paying him as if he's already an established PPG player. And although he's earning it this year IMO, there's still a risk attached to the contract because if he falters a little bit and becomes a ~65P player then he's overpaid. The risk of him becoming overpaid is more than the potential chance of him becoming underpaid.

Again, I don't think his contract is the problem. It's Lucic, Russell, Sekera (to an extent). That's 15.5mill that could be better used.

5 years from now if he became a regular ppg player you would not be signing him for $9M. The cap rises typically about 5% per year so take what you think such a player is worth today and multiply that by 1.34%. So if you think such a player deserves $8M today then in 5 years you could well be looking at about $10.7M

 

[Fourier]

Also kind of funny, but according to the mains, he's a winger and entirely a product of Mcdavid. Smh.

Even when he plays with McDavid I am not sure it is fair to say he is a winger. He does take the draws and I think that neither player plays like a traditional center when they are together. This year, outside of his stretch just following hos concussion, I would say that he has been more effective on his own line than he was last year. Of course he is unlikely to put up the same number of points playing fewer minutes with Khaira and Strome as his wingers than he would on a line with McDavid. So it is true that in an absolute sense he does benefit statistically from McDavid. But would he put up fewer points playing with Wheeler and Ehlers/Connor as the go to guy with Laine on the pp to bury his passes. Maybe but likely not by much.

 

[Drivesaitl]

the dirty little secret there is that Drai is usually put with McDavid when McDavid is slumping, not the other way around. Although, in McDavid's defense the issue could be that we lack a truly great winger for him that can pull away some defensive coverage.

Nobody on this club feeds McD passes like Draisaitl. Leon is a Rush generator. Not that Leon is any slouch at skating the puck up ice either and he invariably gains the zone giving a dual thread. Both grant each other space because its hard to cover both, really you can't, and the pair are gold.

But Drai does well enough without McD provided he's playing with one winger with any offensive consistency.

 

[MessierII]

For me with this contract it’s more than individual points. It’s great he’s putting up numbers but at this point to be a leader and make players around him better. If he’s playing with Jesse or Strome or whoever he needs to make them better with it’s on the ice or off. I think Connor does that and I think Leon needs to get to that point.

 

[Drivesaitl]

For me with this contract it’s more than individual points. It’s great he’s putting up numbers but at this point to be a leader and make players around him better. If he’s playing with Jesse or Strome or whoever he needs to make them better with it’s on the ice or off. I think Connor does that and I think Leon needs to get to that point.

Connor hasn't made Jesse better to any more of a degree than Draisaitl. The same could be said with half a dozen other of our tweener prospects here.

Reality being is that either Connor or Drai struggle to make cold rocks produce life blood.

If anything its interesting that Slepys first sign of life here was with Drai. Same could be said for Khaira, Drai actually involves other players more in the game as he is a premier passer and best at spotting and hitting open targets. All of Khaira's best looks have been with Drai.

Drai has played well with all of the following;

Lucic, Maroon, Hall, Desharnais, Pitlick, Slepy, Pak, Pulju, Kass, Really one of Drais strengths is being versatile and why the team has trusted him to play with so many of the prospects.

Conversely nobody here does well with Cagg, Camm, Strome and that ilk because theres very little NHL upside with those players. lol that Drai has been strung with both Camm and Strome as wingers on the same line. They are the two most useless wingers the team has. Drai would prefer a line with Pac and Slepy over that.

 

[MoneyGuy]

You can really tell that he hates losing.

Then he's on the wrong team.