Who do you build around: Draisaitl or Mackinnon?

[McDNicks17]

I find that hard to believe considering both of them missed significant time this year. Is that when they're all healthy or including previous years?

Just last year.

With both: 362:49
With just Rantanen: 128:03
With just Landeskog: 251:45
Without both: 332:48

Line Stats - Natural Stat Trick

 

[Steven Toast]

McDavid>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Rantanen/Landeskog

So the Oilers are better than the Avs?

 

[McDNicks17]

The "no help" narrative comes from a whopping 300 minutes that MacKinnon had to play with Burakovsky and Donskoi. Let's take a deeper look at their numbers together at even strength.

MacKinnon with Burakovsky: 48.3% GF, 42.4% xGF
MacKinnon without Burakovsky: 58.6% GF, 57.62% xGF

MacKinnon with Donskoi: 43.4% GF, 43.9% xGF
MacKinnon without Donskoi: 62.0% GF, 59.77% xGF

Do those numbers look like someone who supposedly carried some scrubs or like someone who floundered with said scrubs and needed his usual 1st line wingers to do anything?

 

[ujju2]

I watch both them a lot. Very similar caliber of players and anyone who picks either and says "easily" or "ainec" is wrong.

They are both play drivers but in different ways.
Mackinnon will hustle his entire line into the offensive zone and immediately snaps a shot or centering pass to create a scoring chance.

Draisaitl is deceivingly fast, but his strength is more East-West play. His stickhandling through multiple defenders and backcheckers is amazing and his play along the boards is the best in the league (imo). He holds on the puck much longer and will stave off defenders to wait out a scoring chance.

Neither is that good defensively. Not as bad as some of here will say, but Mackinnon can get caught trying to do too much, and Draisaitl will make the occasional erratic pass that leads to a turn over. But either way they both mathup against other teams top players and pass the eye test in the defensive zone (imo)- good positioning, big bodies in the way, active sticks.

I'd build around Draisaitl if your team met the following criteria:
You have a goalscoring winger- Draisaitl is the better passer, he'd make more use of a Laine/Ovi
You have a high-end playmaking winger- Draisaitl is the better goalscorer (not by much tho), really nice 1-timer
You have smaller skilled wingers- Draisaitl really uses his body down low and can get physical to cover for a skill guy
Your team has a bad PP- Draisaitl imo controls the ice on the Oilers PP, which is surprising considering they have McDavid

I'd build around Mackinnon if your team met the following criteria:
You have a fast winger- Mackinnon is much better on the rush, driving North/South play
You need a 1 man line- I think Mackinnon could play with less talent better than Draisaitl could, does singlehanded plays more often
You have 2-way wingers- can sometimes cover defensively to allow Mackinnon to play that "thinking breakaway" style that he loves and excels at

While both are elite at essentially all aspects of the game, its obvious by watching playstyle that Mackinnon's number 1 strength is his physical tools where as for Draisaitl it's his hockey IQ.

Interesting enough I think if you put Mackinnon on Detroit, he'd still be a 90+ point player, where as Draisaitl I think would have to work to be PPG. Mackinnon does more with less.
But on the flip side, if you put Mackinnon on Tampa, I don't think he'd improve a ton and would be about a 110-115 point player. However, I think Draisaitl would be looking at 130+ points. Draisaitl utilizes the talent around him better, he will thread a pass only another elite player would think to connect on, or will predict his elite linemates' thinking and find the soft spot in the offensive zone to bury the goal himself.

Gun to my head I would take Colorado's #29. I think Mack is the recipe for consistency and could step onto any team be one of the league's premier players. For some teams (less than 10ish, including Edmonton) I think Draisaitl would be the more effective choice. Neither team would trade their guy for the other and in this instance both teams would be right.

This is as objective of a comparison as I can make.
This choice is by the thinnest of margins, they are close enough that I think the choice between them would be decided by outside factors.

This is a very fair and imo accurate analysis. Well done.

 

[Riddum]

Draisaitl for sure. He's the better player.

 

[FanTheFlames]

I take Mack all day every day over Drai

 

[DropTheGloves]

Why do people only hone in on line mates and ignore that Mckinnon has had highly productive high end offensive defensemen feeding him the puck his entire career? The oilers in the last 11 years have one D man break 40 points once. Teammates are more than just your line mates.

Avs fans ITT:

 

[Former Referee 68]

Remember when Rantanen was leading the league in scoring in 2018-19 and even got a "Is Rantanen the best player in the league" thread on here?

Apparently he's chopped liver now.

No room for Truth on the HF Boards

 

[Former Referee 68]

Do you or do you not think that having McDavid on the same team helped Draisaitl last year?

so Rantanen, kadri, Burakovsky, Makar are just 4th liners?

 

[kk87]

Draisaitl isn’t on the same planet as Mackinnon...

 

[David Bruce Banner]

MacKinnon, with only the slightest of hesitation.

 

[blankall]

so Rantanen, kadri, Burakovsky, Makar are just 4th liners?

Would you trade McDavid for any of them? All of them?

 

[Yackiberg8]

So the Oilers are better than the Avs?

No......

 

[Yackiberg8]

Remember when Rantanen was leading the league in scoring in 2018-19 and even got a "Is Rantanen the best player in the league" thread on here?

Apparently he's chopped liver now.

You seriously think he's better than McDavid?

 

[MessierII]

Avs fans ITT:

That’s good hahaha

 

[Northern Avs Fan]

The "no help" narrative comes from a whopping 300 minutes that MacKinnon had to play with Burakovsky and Donskoi. Let's take a deeper look at their numbers together at even strength.

MacKinnon with Burakovsky: 48.3% GF, 42.4% xGF
MacKinnon without Burakovsky: 58.6% GF, 57.62% xGF

MacKinnon with Donskoi: 43.4% GF, 43.9% xGF
MacKinnon without Donskoi: 62.0% GF, 59.77% xGF

Do those numbers look like someone who supposedly carried some scrubs or like someone who floundered with said scrubs and needed his usual 1st line wingers to do anything?

What was MacKinnon’s actual production in that time?

 

[Steven Toast]

No......

Then I really don't understand the linemate argument at all. Mack has a much better roster to play with, as you agree. Last time he had a bad roster he got 16 goals and 53 points. Last time Drai had had bad roster he had the first 50+50 season since Malkin in 2012.

 

[Phil Kessels Hot Dog]

Draisaitl isn’t on the same planet as Mackinnon...

50 goals (misses the Rocket by one goal) , 2*100 point seasons, Art Ross, Hart, Lindsay. I get why some would prefer Mac, but I don't get these types of comments.

 

[FloJack]

I can’t choose but I’m leaning towards the guy from the non-traditional hockey country.

 

[Brown Cat]

I have no idea what advanced stats are so Drai for me.

 

[Snipes45]

I'm an Oilers fan and I have no problem with choosing Mackinnon, Both are good.

 

[Snipes45]

50 goals (misses the Rocket by one goal) , 2*100 point seasons, Art Ross, Hart, Lindsay. I get why some would prefer Mac, but I don't get these types of comments.

I am still impressed that he scored all 50 without an EN goal lol. That is not easy to do.

 

[King K Rool]

50 goals (misses the Rocket by one goal) , 2*100 point seasons, Art Ross, Hart, Lindsay. I get why some would prefer Mac, but I don't get these types of comments.

A combination of Leafs avatar/Oilers games being on after bedtime probably.

"Drai isn't close to Mack/leeches off McDavid". I can't believe there are still people here peddling that shit. And oblivious to the fact that it makes them look foolish.

 

[4EDM14OIL93]

50 goals (misses the Rocket by one goal) , 2*100 point seasons, Art Ross, Hart, Lindsay. I get why some would prefer Mac, but I don't get these types of comments.

Jealous Leafs fan. Not even worth the effort to respond

 

[Blue Line Turnover]

As an Oilers' fan, I hate to admit that Mackinnon has that type of game-breaking ability that nobody else has and is needed in the playoffs