Amazing that there were a whack of voices out there last year that wanted to move Drai after we won the lottery and go McD. Dumb then, and now with hindsight, really dumb.
Yep... I've been banging the drum HARD on Draisaitl being a beast in the NHL ever since he was drafted. You don't trade away skill, size and intelligence down the middle like Drai has.
Drai could literally be Joe Thornton 2.0 (Draisaitl's slow start in his first season is comparable to Thornton as well) and the Oilers have him right from 18 years old.
Don't be stupid and trade away a franchise centre... because it's basically impossible to acquire those types any other way (and yes I know the irony is that Jumbo Joe was traded away at a young age as well.) Don't repeat that mistake Boston made Chiarelli.
With McDavid + Drai they have the beginnings of an epic #1/#2 C combo rivaling Crosby/Malkin... and sure the Pens have had their struggles but they also have a Cup and have played in two finals. I'd take that for the Oilers in an ultra competitive 30 team league where just making the playoffs consistently is a struggle for many teams.
They obviously need better D... but you don't have to worry about that other ultra important position with Drai and McDavid who'll be wrapped up for 7 years.
Here's a thought... what if Drai ends up better than McDavid? Good god imagine if that's the case going forward... not saying it will be the case, but imagine these two ultra competitive players both working their ***** off to be the #1C on the Oilers... that type of healthy internal competition would make everyone around them and the entire team better.
