Chicago Blackhawks Playoffs: A look at Edmonton Oilers superstars

You might remember the years where Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin were the two best players in the world and they played on the same team and on separate lines. Well, a similar situation might be developing in Edmonton. Leon Draisaitl isn’t as good as Connor McDavid but he is certainly close enough. Draisaitl should probably win the Hart Trophy as the league’s MVP because he really stepped it up during McDavid’s injury. He was already on a roll before McDavid went down and then he put the team on his back when it happened.

In that time, he ran away from McDavid in the scoring title race with his 43 goals and 67 assists for 110 points in 71 games played. That was a pace of 127 points if he was able to play in 82 games. It was truly remarkable stuff from Draisaitl as he silenced anybody who thought his year in 2018-19 was a fluke when he had 50 goals and 55 assists for 105 points. He is the only player not named Alexander Ovechkin to reach the 50 goal mark since Evgeni Malkin and Steven Stamkos did it in 2011-12.

When the Oilers are desperate, Draisaitl has the ability to play on the wing. Putting him and McDavid on the same line is lethal but it doesn’t do a good job of spreading the wealth. They are the most dangerous when they are both playing extremely well on separate lines. Their bread is also buttered when Draisaitl and McDavid do work on the power play.

Leon’s ability to score goals is what has elevated him into the player that he is. That is because he can pass as well as he can shoot so people don’t know what is coming. He is deceptive because he has developed all the areas of his attack. He makes plays for himself and makes his teammates around him better.

Draisaitl has the ability to create offense with the best of them. For Chicago, they will need to pick their poison when they decide on their defenders. Jonathan Toews can help slow these two guys down but he can’t be out there against both of them at all times. It is going to be a total team effort to deal with Draisaitl’s abilities behind McDavid.