Leon Draisaitl, confident in his legacy, continues to prove himself as an all-time NHL great

EDMONTON Before Leon Draisaitl signed his massive contract extension, the one thatll make him the highest-paid player in the NHL next season, there was scuttlebutt he was intrigued by the notion of being another teams main superstar.

It turns out following through on that speculation was the least of Draisaitls concerns and he happily signed his second eight-year deal with the Edmonton Oilers this one for $14 million AAV in September.

Advertisement Of course, I like to be appreciated, and I like to be seen as a really good hockey player in this world and potentially one of the best, Draisaitl said.

I appreciate that, but Im not ego-driven enough to have to be the guy.

As long as he shares a dressing room with Connor McDavid , his close friend and a transcendent talent, hell never be seen as the top player on the Oilers even if hes earned that distinction this season based on his exceptional play.

Draisaitls stature as one of the NHLs elite performers is often overlooked and underappreciated as a result, especially outside the confines of northern Alberta.

McDavid is otherworldly, a video game cheat code.

But the Oilers arent the perennial Stanley Cup contender that theyve become without Draisaitl, whos establishing himself as the best No.

2 center of his era and one of the best of all time.

That might sound like a backhanded compliment, yet thats hardly the case.

This is a group that includes the likes of Mark Messier, Ron Francis, Sergei Fedorov and Evgeni Malkin .

When ( Pittsburgh ) won their Cups, they had Malkin in that position.

I think Leon is a more complete player than Malkin was, Oilers defenseman Mattias Ekholm said.

On any other team, hes a No.

1 (center) all day long, added Oilers winger and one of the NHLs elder statesmen Corey Perry .

Weve got 1A and 1B on our team.

Its pretty special to watch what he can do.

Just the patience he has and the way he can see the game, some people might call him an artist.

That artistry can be attributed to one of the most unique offensive arsenals.

Oilers forward Zach Hyman calls Draisaitl a pass-first, 50-goal scorer, an apt description if there ever was one.

Hes one of the sports premier set-up men and maybe the best back-handed disher around thanks to his long, straight stick blade.

Hes already hit the half-century mark in goals three times earning him the Rocket Richard Trophy runner-up slot twice and is well on his way to getting there again.

Advertisement Dallas Stars goalie Jake Oettinger told The Athletic during the 2024 Western Conference final that Draisaitls one-timer range on the power play from the top of the faceoff circle to the goal line is second to none.

His skill level doesnt get talked about enough, Oilers center Adam Henrique said.

He makes so many plays on his backhand side.

Hes almost better on that side.

Draisaitl is simply one of this generations greatest players.

He won the Hart Trophy and Ted Lindsay Award when he claimed the Art Ross Trophy in 2019-20, largely thanks to his play with McDavid out of the lineup because of injury or illness.

Henrique said it was so apparent how Draisaitl took his game to another level earlier this season when McDavid was sidelined for three games with an ankle injury.

He had back-to-back three-point efforts.

Draisaitl entered the 2024 playoffs as the third-most prolific scorer behind just Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux, even though he fell to fifth after producing 31 points in 25 games on the Oilers run to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final.

With 902 points, hes by far the highest-scoring player from his native Germany an emerging hockey country.

He gets overshadowed at times by Davos accomplishments, Henrique said.

With players in duos on teams, theres almost not enough attention on certain guys.

But he can drive the team.

Guys look to him and lean on him.

Thats especially been the case this season.

Draisaitls greatness has perhaps never been more apparent than it is right now.

Draisaitl is having the best season of a sterling career thats already worthy of Hockey Hall of Fame enshrinement.

Draisaitl has been the Oilers top player yes, better than McDavid and carries a nine-game point streak into the holiday break.

He leads the NHL with 24 goals to go along with 52 points in 34 games.

Hes doing it with a castoff from a division rival, Vasily Podkolzin , as his most common linemate.

His other winger has typically been the underproducing-then-injured Viktor Arvidsson or Kasperi Kapanen , a waiver claim in November.

Advertisement Warren Foegele was elevated to Draisaitls line 40 percent of the time last season before he signed with the Los Angeles Kings in the summer.

He said last season that Draisaitl had a penchant for bringing out the best in him.

Draisaitl taught Foegele how to be more patient and look for the optimal play in the offensive zone.

Thats what leadership is, Draisaitl said.

I know sometimes I can be hard on guys, but its only because I see something in them.

I see potential.

I see theres areas for growth.

Theres areas for becoming more successful.

Hes taken that philosophy to heart with his own game in other areas this season, too.

Ekholm, the veteran blueliner, has noticed the improvements Draisaitls made away from the puck and in the Edmonton zone.

The Oilers have outscored opposing teams 30-17 in 559 minutes at five-on-five with Draisaitl on the ice, a team-best 63.8 goals-for percentage, per Natural Stat Trick.

His 1.83 goals against per 60 minutes in that game state is elite, especially for an offensively gifted forward.

Its understanding certain situations a little bit better, a little bit quicker, Draisaitl said.

My mindset on it all has improved and just matured a little bit.

We all in here have come to an understanding that we can outscore teams with six or seven (goals) every night if we want to, but were going to have to squeak out the 2-1s or the 1-0s, Ekholm said.

That realization is really set in with him, too.

Oilers CEO of hockey operations Jeff Jackson has referred to McDavid and Draisaitl as one of the best one-two punches the NHL has ever seen.

Its not hard to understand why he feels that way.

Part of that deadly combination is the difference in McDavids and Draisaitls skill sets.

McDavid is one of the fastest and most graceful skaters in league history.

He can blow by defenders or turn them inside out in a split second.

Advertisement Draisaitl, on the other hand, is fast but nowhere near as quick.

Good luck taking the puck off him, though.

He can protect the disc like few others.

Hes this eras version of Jaromir Jagr, Henriques former teammate in New Jersey, in that respect.

Perry finds it remarkable how Draisaitl can make incredible plays from confined areas.

Hes got the strength and can slow it down, McDavid said.

I play with a lot of pace and attack a lot and do different things.

Theres a yin and yang.

When were playing together or were playing separate, it gives teams something to think about.

For opposing coaches, its like choosing to be sliced and diced with a buzzsaw or beaten with the brute force of a sledgehammer.

Theyre unstoppable.

Overall, you will not eliminate the two from a game, Florida Panthers coach Paul Maurice said.

You know that on shift length alone, youre not getting the match.

Nobody has the answer to those two guys.

Many teams in the NHL have a true No.

1 center, albeit none at McDavids level.

But there isnt a No.

2 pivot like Draisaitl in the game today.

Thats certainly appreciated by McDavid.

He has the ability to raise his game to a level that not a lot of guys can get to, McDavid said.

We take a lot of pressure off each other.

When one guys going (well), the other guy maybe doesnt have the pressure or can maybe focus on other things.

When you have two great players on the same team, its always a good thing.

Weve learned a lot from each other over the years and we have a really, really healthy competition, Draisaitl said.

Both of us want to be the best.

We push each other in a really great way.

Weve done that for a lot of years now and were looking to continue that.

McDavid often says that Draisaitl is the best player in the NHL at times.

Draisaitl is part of a cohort with Nathan MacKinnon , Auston Matthews and Cale Makar .

Add a few more to that list depending on the week.

Advertisement I know that, though, Draisaitl said.

Im not trying to be arrogant.

He does it all, Ekholm said.

You look at it situational.

Is he out there when were defending a lead? Every time.

Is he out there when were trying to score a goal? Every time.

I would say hes widely regarded as one of the top three players in the league year in, year out.

I dont know what more you can ask of a guy.

Those other players tend to get more recognition, though.

Perhaps thats because theyre not under McDavids vast shadow or incorrectly perceived to be byproducts of No.

97 one of the most sublime talents to ever lace up a pair of skates.

So, maybe its easy to forget Draisaitl or disregard him as a mere second fiddle instead of the all-world legend that he is.

When youre as good as Draisaitl, however, it doesnt matter a lick.

Its been like that all my career, he said.

I know what Im capable of.

I know how good I can be when Im at my best.

Im not overly worried about lists that come out whether Im (number) three, five, seven.

I know how good I can be.

(Photo: Paul Swanson / NHLI via Getty Images).

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