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

[McDeepika]

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.

Right on the money here. The more I think about Draisaitl's game, the more impressed I become.

We are asking a player to play his off wing, receive grenades from our D and put the puck on McDavids tape in flight with his BACKHAND. Think about how hard that is.

Oh and then we tell him to play center with Cammalleri/Lucic/Strome/Kharia.

He has about as versatile skill-set as anybody in this league.

 

[Del Preston]

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

And it's a terrible argument too. Every single player in the league sees a drop in production when taken away from a talented linemate.

Leon's pts/60 when he's not with McDavid is similar to several star players who aren't penalized for who they play with: Eichel, Scheifele, Tavares, P. Kane, Wheeler, Kopitar, Tarasenko, Marner, Voracek, Radulov, Barkov; and better than: Perry, Panarin, Kessel, Neal, Seguin, Trocheck, Pavelski, Couture.

 

[nabob]

Right on the money here. The more I think about Draisaitl's game, the more impressed I become.

We are asking a player to play his off wing, receive grenades from our D and put the puck on McDavids tape in flight with his BACKHAND. Think about how hard that is.

Oh and then we tell him to play center with Cammalleri/Lucic/Strome/Kharia.

He has about as versatile skill-set as anybody in this league.

Drai's backhand pass has been a thing of beauty since his junior days, so him playing his off wing is actually a benefit. Also allows him to accept passes and get off shots better.

 

[ThePhoenixx]

As I said, he is already worth his contract. It is going to be a steal in a few years.

 

[Bryanbryoil]

Keep Drai with Connor, if Jesse is going to play LW then play him with them. Keep Nuge and play Yamamoto and Looch with him.

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

overpaid and not a driver

right guys? lol

 

[Aerchon]

Beast mode tonight. Carried the team on his back. Awesome to see.

 

[Drivesaitl]

Drai has been in beast mode for the longest time. Only thing is its impossible to generate much playing with the likes of Lucic and Cammy.

Last game setup 10 plays and got zero pts because nobody could finish.

Would be nice to see Leon getting setup more than is. Happened a couple times today.

He gives around 5X as many quality passes than he gets.

 

[Soundwave]

Just play McDavid + Draisaitl together for the rest of the year. Splitting them up just limits them, it's on the GM to build a good team around them not for the coach to figure that out.

 

[Spawn]

Drai has been in beast mode for the longest time. Only thing is its impossible to generate much playing with the likes of Lucic and Cammy.

Last game setup 10 plays and got zero pts because nobody could finish.

Would be nice to see Leon getting setup more than is. Happened a couple times today.

He gives around 5X as many quality passes than he gets.

Unfortunately, unless he's playing with McDavid he's about 5X better than anyone else he's going to have on his line.

Looked like Peter Forsberg on that game winner. Something else.

 

[foshizzle]

Just play McDavid + Draisaitl together for the rest of the year. Splitting them up just limits them, it's on the GM to build a good team around them not for the coach to figure that out.

The problem is our genius coach doesn’t know how to build the other lines matching skill sets. Have Puljujärvi playing with McDavid and Drai, have Slepy with Nuge and a winger via trade, a third line of Lucic-Strome-Khaira and Kassian with Malone and Pak. You keep the size, have more speed. Work on revamping the backend in the summer. This team isn’t going nowhere with Drake/Cammy in your top six and Benning in the top 4 on the backend.

 

[Drivesaitl]

Unfortunately, unless he's playing with McDavid he's about 5X better than anyone else he's going to have on his line.

Looked like Peter Forsberg on that game winner. Something else.

Its nice that we still get some fun out of these games even if we're out this year.

These are teasers for next season. Somebody handcuff Chia so he can't make any more big deals. Team will be better next season, this was a good learning year. Would just like to see a couple competent Wingers on the club and not give up the farm to get it.

Still wish we had Perron. Would he look beautiful here now. Always the team to retain him.

 

[foshizzle]

Its nice that we still get some fun out of these games even if we're out this year.

These are teasers for next season. Somebody handcuff Chia so he can't make any more big deals. Team will be better next season, this was a good learning year. Would just like to see a couple competent Wingers on the club and not give up the farm to get it.

Still wish we had Perron. Would he look beautiful here now. Always the team to retain him.

100 percent agree. Pieces are there, just need a coach to know how to put them together. Todd going to the media in preseason saying how how worried he was about regression had the team gripping their sticks too tight in my opinion. Every mistake is magnified and some quick pulls shot Talbot’s confidence and they have been trying to claw back ever since.

 

[ConnorMcMullet]

Leon Draisaitl with the (actual) 10,000th Oilers goal!

 

[Zaddy]

overpaid and not a driver

right guys? lol

This game really showed how fat and lazy he is. Gotta trade him while he's still worth something.

 

[SaltNPeca]

What a beauty. Dirty dangles, one-timers, so much sauce, flying down the wing, winning draws, literally doing it all himself on some plays, shrugging off defenders, ... what more could you ask of a player? His recent cellys are the best: he just looks pissed that the team isn't making the playoffs.

Remember that he's 22.
This is the type of big center every team covets.
Edmontonians: Sometimes you get what you pay for. Please stop talking about his contract it's basic.

 

[voxel]

Even though I've been a big booster of his since his junior days, his annoying habit of standing around during the PP (along the half wall) and in the O-zone needs to stop.

 

[Spawn]

Even though I've been a big booster of his since his junior days, his annoying habit of standing around during the PP (along the half wall) and in the O-zone needs to stop.

The entire PP has been a disaster this season. Part of it does likely lie at the feet of McDavid and draisaitl, but the fact that they’ve been so unwilling to change up what isn’t working is far more maddening. Drai isn’t working on the half wall? Move him somewhere else.

They’ve been trying this weird play catch set up with McDavid and drai along the same boards the entire season. Hasn’t worked so why keep going back to it?

 

[fuswald]

Draisaitl was awesome against the Hurricanes. Caguillia works well on his wing.

 

[Stoneman89]

Draisaitl was awesome against the Hurricanes. Caguillia works well on his wing.

Darling was hot garbage and Carolina was looser that my stool after a bunch of oatmeal cookies. I'm more interested in seeing how he does against competition like Tampa or the upcoming King game.

 

[CycloneSweep]

Darling was hot garbage and Carolina was looser that my stool after a bunch of oatmeal cookies. I'm more interested in seeing how he does against competition like Tampa or the upcoming King game.

I mean, on the other hand McDavid was -1 and quiet.

This was a game that showed what can happen when the opposing team doesn't have 2 shut down pairings.

 

[PaPaDee]

I think for the most part, Draisaitl has met the expectations/hopes I had for him this season. Pretty crazy to think that both McDavid and Draisaitl are producing at similar rates to last year, and the team is as bad as it is.

 

[voxel]

Finished top 10 in face off percentage. He’s becoming the beast of a center I saw in the WHL. The last 20 games he must have averaged 65% on the dot.

His biggest problem is still skating IMO and now these lazy cross ice passes.

 

[FlameChampion]

I think his biggest problem is that he needs better line mates. He needs at least one good winger to play with.

He had a good year. I don’t know if I would say great. I think he needs more consistency. He has games where’s he’s a beast and games where he’s ok. Not worried about him but he needs some help.

 

[ChaoticOrange]

If his ‘down’ season is 70 points and a top 10 faceoff percentage finish I think we’re gonna be ok.

Said it before, saying it again - Draisaitl = O’Rielly on the low, Kopitar on the high.