C Leon Draisaitl (2014, 3rd, EDM) II

[Oilerglory]

Oilers have their own version of Sid and Gino on their hands in Conner and Leon
Watch out NHL

 

[voxel]

This is a prime example of the "what have you done for me lately" mentality of hfboards.

Kid is on fire and looks fantastic, however there are going to be ups and downs. I'll reserve judgement until after 3 full years but I'd be happy if I was an oilers fan right now.

Well, I've been saying he would slow down sometime during the WHL playoffs... nope... WHL MVP... then the Memorial Cup... nope Mem Cup MVP... then maybe preseason... nope... one of the best players in camp. He got sent down and cooled down for maybe a few games in a poopy AHL team... now he's back in track. He won't slow down until he wins the Hart and Conn Smyth trophy

 

[HellsBells]

Oilers have their own version of Sid and Gino on their hands in Conner and Leon
Watch out NHL

You might want to learn how to spell McDavid's first name though.

 

[Fourier]

You might want to learn how to spell McDavid's first name though.

Here is the thing though...Some of us Oiler fans have actually seen the Oilers with a better pair of centers than Sid and Gino so it's not like we all have no idea what real skill is.

Having watched the team since 72 I'd say that McDavid has a better than even chance of being the second best player to wear the uniform. Now how good Leon becomes is still to be determined. He's got a long way to go to be in Malkin's tier for sure. But the improvement in his skating though is actually quite remarkable, and his passing skills and IQ are absolutely top shelf. So this statement is not so far fetched as it might seem at least in the sense that there are two potentially dominant centers whose games complement one another extremely well.

 

[OF17]

If in a vacuum you had sat down and described exactly what the Oilers' forwards were missing, how close would that description be to Draisaitl?

Big, strong, uses his frame well.
Plays any forward position.
Great passer.
Great shot.
Great vision.
Good defensively.
Good speed and acceleration.

Only thing missing is that 2011 Lucic killer instinct, and you've pretty much described not only the ideal forward for the Oilers but an archetype for the ideal NHL forward in general. I do not expect him to maintain this 1.7 PPG pace, but if you have a 60-70 point forward with those qualities, you're laughing. That's essentially Anze Kopitar, who has commonly been seen as Draisaitl's absolute outer marker, but day by day that outer marker is looking more and more reasonable.

He's going to force Yakupov off the team IMO. As much as I like Yak, Draisaitl is proving himself to be in another league in terms of value to the team.

 

[BigBen]

The crazy thing is that he only has 4 pp points. That's a 1.3 ES PPG right now which is crazy.

 

[UnrefinedCrude]

No, he just looked like a bad skater because of his size and awkward stride. He's been a great skater since the draft.

Almost. I wouldn't say he was "great" from the draft. He wasn't terrible like someone else posted.

His first couple steps were an issue, as they are for a lot of guys his size, especially at that age.

He has worked on and improved there.

He's been a good skater since his draft, he's becoming a great skater now.

 

[Roof Daddy]

Almost. I wouldn't say he was "great" from the draft. He wasn't terrible like someone else posted.

His first couple steps were an issue, as they are for a lot of guys his size, especially at that age.

He has worked on and improved there.

He's been a good skater since his draft, he's becoming a great skater now.

Pretty much this. His top end speed was always good, but as you mention, the acceleration wasn't NHL calibre last year. We all knew that his work ethic was top notch, but I never expected him to overcome the skating issue in a single off-season. Very excited to see where his game goes from here.

 

[ChaoticOrange]

Pretty much this. His top end speed was always good, but as you mention, the acceleration wasn't NHL calibre last year. We all knew that his work ethic was top notch, but I never expected him to overcome the skating issue in a single off-season. Very excited to see where his game goes from here.

I shed a tear of happiness when I saw him blow by Toews in overtime last week. Both players started at a standstill, and Draisaitl just flew by him. Not bad for a ****** skater.

 

[PaPaDee]

I shed a tear of happiness when I saw him blow by Toews in overtime last week. Both players started at a standstill, and Draisaitl just flew by him. Not bad for a ****** skater.

It's quite amazing that Draisaitl managed to turn a weakness into a strength. His skating has looked sublime so far this year.

 

[Evolu7ion]

He's been a good skater since his draft, he's becoming a great skater now.

Exactly... it's never been a weakness for him, just an untapped advantage that he seems to be utilizing more often this season. I was able to catch a few live games where Kelowna was playing last season, and on several occasions noticed Draisaitl just explode up the ice, converting his massive stride length into elite acceleration. He didn't flash that level of skating very often, but its certainly there.

 

[KevinRedkey]

It's quite amazing that Draisaitl managed to turn a weakness into a strength. His skating has looked sublime so far this year.

If Marc Stone can become an average skater... anyone can become a good skater.