Player Discussion Leon Draisaitl - 2019 All-Star

[The Panther]

He doesn't get nearly enough respect from the media to do that. Let's be real, he's on pace to score 50 g and 100 pts, and he's still considered a product of McDavid.

Jari Kurri still faced this in 1986 after having the best GPG for two seasons in a row.

 

[Zaddy]

The thing that's impressed me the most is how dedicated he is to improving. From junior we all knew he had elite size, passing, and hands, but his shot was just decent and his skating was questionable. His dedication to improving those aspects can not go unstated.

He can now add shot and speed to his list of elite traits.

Yep, it's kind of incredible how much he gets called lazy, when he is one of the hardest workers in the league when it comes to improving his game. I loved Leon in his draft year but never did I think he'd be a guy that would score 40+ goals. He was a playmaker through and through, so to see him evolve into an elite goal scorer is really surprising but also very telling about the kind of guy that he is. He should get more credit for that.

 

[wiz64]

He doesn't get nearly enough respect from the media to do that. Let's be real, he's on pace to score 50 g and 100 pts, and he's still considered a product of McDavid.

Because he is [end of sarcasm]

 

[Panthera]

Plays like that really put the whole "lazy" criticism into perspective. How often does a guy improve their skating after being drafted to the extent Drai has? Usually dubious skating is a very hard weakness to overcome, but Draisaitl put in the work to get pretty good anyway.

 

[PenDuhNotPittsburgh]

The thing that's impressed me the most is how dedicated he is to improving. From junior we all knew he had elite size, passing, and hands, but his shot was just decent and his skating was questionable. His dedication to improving those aspects can not go unstated.

He can now add shot and speed to his list of elite traits.

Skated like a German Bure

 

[PositiveCashFlow]

Two controller disconnects there

 

[Panda Bear]

How much of Draisaitl's poor skating was a lack of leg strength relative to his size?

Didn't he credit his big leap forward in skating speed to, you know, working the living hell out of his legs for an entire summer?

 

[Da McBomb]

Always saw him as a playmaker until this season. I love this goal scoring machine.

Now that other teams have to respect his shooting and scoring ability now.. this will open up McDavid more if other teams have to focus on Drai too.

 

[Spawn]

Interesting, but not unexpected, that there is still a bunch of main board idiots who think Drai is a leech off McDavid.

People love to use the stat of how many points Drai has away from McDavid as proof that he's a leech.

Draisaitl without McDavid on the ice this season.... 16 points

McDavid without Draisaitl on the ice his season..... *drum roll*.... 16 points

Almost like they both benefit from playing together.

All these stats tell us is that these two players are on an island by themselves this season with RNH having an honorable mention as a player on a dingy off shore and no one else even within sight.

 

[booyakasha]

Wow, Drai has a legit shot at the Richard!
Ovi, grow eyes in the back of your head, cuz Leon is gunning for you..

 

[iCanada]

The thing that's impressed me the most is how dedicated he is to improving. From junior we all knew he had elite size, passing, and hands, but his shot was just decent and his skating was questionable. His dedication to improving those aspects can not go unstated.

He can now add shot and speed to his list of elite traits.

It's too bad he doesn't skate well enough to play in nhl.

 

[Joey Moss]

Interesting, but not unexpected, that there is still a bunch of main board idiots who think Drai is a leech off McDavid.

People love to use the stat of how many points Drai has away from McDavid as proof that he's a leech.

Draisaitl without McDavid on the ice this season.... 16 points

McDavid without Draisaitl on the ice his season..... *drum roll*.... 16 points

Almost like they both benefit from playing together.

All these stats tell us is that these two players are on an island by themselves this season with RNH having an honorable mention as a player on a dingy off shore and no one else even within sight.

They are complete idiots on the main board looking to trash the Oilers any chance they get.

Draisaitl's production with McDavid is no different than Rantanen/MacKinnon, Point/Kucherov, Gaudreau/Monahan.

A guy like Pastrnak is going to be linked to Draisaitl for the rest of their careers due to draft year but no one seems to ever look at it negatively that he plays with Marchand and Bergeron.

Than they use the "well McDavid is better than those guys" argument without mentioning how bad everyone else on the team is.

 

[3IR]

They are complete idiots on the main board looking to trash the Oilers any chance they get.

Draisaitl's production with McDavid is no different than Rantanen/MacKinnon, Point/Kucherov, Gaudreau/Monahan.

A guy like Pastrnak is going to be linked to Draisaitl for the rest of their careers due to draft year but no one seems to ever look at it negatively that he plays with Marchand and Bergeron.

Than they use the "well McDavid is better than those guys" argument without mentioning how bad everyone else on the team is.

Yep. I don't care if he played with Gretzky. When other 3 guys on the ice are usually some combo of bottom pairing dman who's never completed a breakout pass, and whichever waiver winger is playing best lately, no one player is going to turn you into a 40 goal 80 point player if you aren't a very good player already.

It's just such a frustrating discussion to have because their production together is amazing, so we should keep them together, but people confuse that with drai being a leech even though McDavid plays better with drai than anyone else too.

 

[KCC]

It would be crazy if he continues to makes a push and miraculously wins the Rocket. Don't think McDavid is winning any hardware this year so it would be awesome if another Oiler did.

 

[ThreeOfAPerfectPair]

17 goals in last 18 games. I think McDavid is even impressed

 

[Del Preston]

Leon Draisaitl is so f***ing good!

 

[MessierII]

He’s been better than Mcdavid lately

 

[Austerlitz]

I was at the Buffalo game. Man, Draisatl was good. Like, does a bunch of little things you can't see on television good. Perhaps if you live in Edmonton you're used to it, but the way he holds onto the puck until a player commits to checking him physically, then passes it or spins off i or just goes wide and powers through. Very chippy too, away from the play.

This guy is just so good. Big, strong, fast, makes plays, scores goals... he's Messier to Connor's Gretzky.

 

[ohheyhemsky]

The thing about Draisaitl and my initial worry about him outside of his skating, was that he "slowed the game down" and seeing as how the game was transitioning from a big man's game to a smaller, speedier type, it seemed like Bennett was going to be the right choice. I'll admit I was wrong, very, very wrong.

BUT, what's great is that Draisaitl hasn't changed his game. He just got used to the NHL speed. He's doing exactly what he would do in Junior when it came to slowing the game down when he had the puck, and forcing opposing players to play at his speed while allowing his teammates to continue at their pace. He can hold the puck, protect it and open space all at once, all while dictating what's going around him within his style of play.

He doesn't change for the game, he makes opposing players change when coming at him. That's the brilliance of Draisaitl.

 

[ThreeOfAPerfectPair]

I mean this success is nice and all but he isn't even a first line center apparently.

 

[Jimmi McJenkins]

I have always liked draisaitl, but I didn't think he had this level to his game, what a season he's putting together

 

[OilerTyler]

I mean this success is nice and all but he isn't even a first line center apparently.

I wonder if one of those hall of famers was Gretzky

 

[Pass the Saitl Sauce]

Draisaitl to mcdavid might very well be what malkin is to Crosby, too bad he will never get that same appreciation outside of northern Alberta. Leons confidence has been on a different level as of late

 

[MessierII]

The thing about Draisaitl and my initial worry about him outside of his skating, was that he "slowed the game down" and seeing as how the game was transitioning from a big man's game to a smaller, speedier type, it seemed like Bennett was going to be the right choice. I'll admit I was wrong, very, very wrong.

BUT, what's great is that Draisaitl hasn't changed his game. He just got used to the NHL speed. He's doing exactly what he would do in Junior when it came to slowing the game down when he had the puck, and forcing opposing players to play at his speed while allowing his teammates to continue at their pace. He can hold the puck, protect it and open space all at once, all while dictating what's going around him within his style of play.

He doesn't change for the game, he makes opposing players change when coming at him. That's the brilliance of Draisaitl.

Prospect Info: - #4 Sam Bennett

 

[ohheyhemsky]

Prospect Info: - #4 Sam Bennett

Oh, I know.

I'll eat shit for that for the rest of my life.