I think Draisaitl is playing a more mature game at the moment. He's focused on improving the defensive aspects of his game to become a solid 200 foot player, but I believe McDavid's will improve with age.
I also think that McDavid has a bit of a 'do it all' mentality that will subside as he matures.
That being said, in terms of pure talent, Draisaitl isn't in the same stratusphere as Connor.
Agree. More than the points and goals, I'm liking the improved effort and responsible play of Drai. He is giving more of an effort to play a more mature and 200ft game than Connor for sure so far.
You're so right about Connor wanting to basically do it all every shift as far as offence is concerned and definitely neglects the defensive side from time to time. He was getting really bad with that the second half of last year when there was rampant cheating and floating and flybys in his game. I do hope he starts to mature his game as well and recognize that defence and just playing the right way all the time thru 200ft of the ice is just as important. It sets an example and precendent for the other lines to follow. As a captain you should be doing the right things as often as possible.
Connor definitely still has more flat out ability as you say and can take a game over much more so and much more consistently if he wanted to than drai. No doubt. That being said Drai has started to improve this aspect of his game where he's gaining a bit of that ability and a lot of it i think has to do with his improved skating abilities. he looks a bit quicker, more agile and lighter on his feet. This improvement has been occuring for a year or two now. I think i remember someone saying he's changed his training in the offseason for more explosiveness and quickness, and a bit less on strength. Agility and explosive acceleration is more important than a great top speed and he's realized that.
Sometimes playing wing responsibilities can hamper a bit of that engagement from a player who's normally center. You have to be a bit more engaged in your thinking and skating as a center. I feel like sometimes when connor is floating or having a bleh shift he looks like he's playing wing responsibilities.... more "stuck" to board responsibilities. Sucks because these guys work so well together but both play better when they're responsible for center duties.
