Draisaitl enjoying another ‘exceptional’ season for Oilers

EDMONTON -- Leon Draisaitl is putting together another season worthy of Hart Trophy consideration for the Edmonton Oilers.

The 29-year-old center is on a roll; he’s had at least one point in 17 of his past 18 games, dating back to a two-goal performance in a 6-3 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Dec. 5.

Entering Wednesday at the Minnesota Wild (8:30 p.m. ET; MAX, truTV, TNT, SN, TVAS) Draisaitl has 64 points (31 goals, 33 assists) in 43 games.

“I think he’s having a very similar season to his MVP year,” Oilers captain Connor McDavid said. “His line is really playing well, they all complement each other well. [Vasily Podkolzin] does a great job of going and getting pucks back on the forecheck, he works so hard. [Viktor Arvidsson] does a great job of getting pucks off the wall and obviously, Leo is Leo. The three of them complement each other well and they’ve really dug in. He’s playing really well.”

Draisaitl’s play has helped Edmonton move into second place in the Pacific Division. The Oilers are 14-3-1 in their past 18 games; Draisaitl has a League-leading 32 points (14 goals, 18 assists) during that stretch and trails only Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon (68 points; 15 goals, 53 assists) in the overall scoring race.

“He’s been playing extremely well, and you saw this last year, and it’s been as good as I’ve seen him play right now,” Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said. “He went through stretches last year where he dominated, but for playing as well as he has, for this long of a stretch, and I think what really started it was the Columbus game (6-1 loss Oct. 28) where we lost McDavid (to injury) and that was a big opportunity for him to step up and everything is on his shoulders. There were three, three and-a-half games we played without him (McDavid) and he’s never looked back. He continues to be exceptional.”

Draisaitl had a 14-game point streak (12 goals, 15 assists) end in a 4-0 loss at the Boston Bruins on Jan. 7. He has five points (two goals, three assists) in three games since.

“He said something to me one day, that he’s an artist out there, and that will never leave me,” Oilers forward Corey Perry said. “I’ll always remember that, and it’s true. He’s an artist out there and he’s patient with the puck, and some guys just can’t do that.”

In his 11th season with Edmonton after being the No. 3 pick at the 2014 NHL Draft, Draisaitl is on pace for his fourth 50-goal season and perhaps winning the Hart Trophy a second time, having won it, along with the Ted Lindsay Award, in 2019-20 after a 110-point season (43 goals, 67 assists).

Draisaitl has long been one of the top-scoring forwards in the League over the course of his career, forming a dangerous 1-2 punch with McDavid.

“He’s playing as good as I’ve ever seen,” McDavid said. “He’s really dug in on both sides of the rink, scoring goals, making plays, winning draws, doing lots.”

Often the two will center their own lines, but if the Oilers need a spark, every coach they’ve had in Edmonton the past decade will put them together.

Draisaitl is having a lot of success this season playing with Podkolzin and Arvidsson. Perry or Kasperi Kapanen have sometimes been placed alongside Draisaitl and Podkolzin and have produced.

“Yeah, I think you’re seeing a player that’s doing the same stuff but with sort of a different vibe, I guess,” Edmonton goalie Stuart Skinner said. “He’s coming out and skating hard every single night, he’s really leading the charge, which is good.”

Draisaitl is expected to be a core piece for the Oilers for the foreseeable future. He signed an eight-year, $112-million contract ($14 million average annual value) starting next season and is currently in the final season of an eight-year, $68-million contract ($8.5 million AAV) signed prior to the 2017-2018 season.

He sets an excellent example in the dressing room, according to Perry.

“Just the way he approaches the game,” Perry said. “He’s a professional through and through, but if you look at the work he puts in off the ice and the things that he does in the gym and taking care of his body, you can see it just translate on the ice, how strong he is with one hand on his stick and a guy on his back, those kind of things.”

Draisaitl’s strength is one of his biggest assets. He is able to hold players off while looking to make a play.

The 6-foot-2, 209-pound forward is difficult to knock off the puck and has exceptional vision and puck-handling abilities to go with a hard and accurate shot. He created the goal in a 1-0 win against the Los Angeles Kings on Monday by racing past Trevor Moore along the boards, outmuscling the Kings forward for the puck in the offensive zone, circling the net and finding defenseman Darnell Nurse in front. Nurse was stopped by goalie Darcy Kuemper, but the rebound went to McDavid.

“I don’t think this year is a statement year or anything like that, it’s just who he is,” Oilers forward Zach Hyman said. “He’s one of the best in the world. It doesn’t matter -- you could put him on any team, and he would be one of the best in the world. He’s special, generational, however you want to define it, at all times of the year.

“He elevates in the playoffs to another level, and I’m very lucky to be on his team and for him to be locked up for a very long time here.”