LAS VEGAS -- Leon Draisaitl said he is willing to do whatever it takes to win, and that’s a big reason the Edmonton Oilers are one victory away from the Western Conference Final.
Sure, the forward has five points (two goals, three assists) through the first four games of the Western Conference Second Round against the Vegas Golden Knights, helping Edmonton build a 3-1 lead.
But his defensive prowess also has been strong. It was on full display during Game 4 when he was in Golden Knights center Jack Eichel’s hip pocket all night in a 3-0 win at Rogers Place on Monday. And it’s given the Oilers a chance to close the best-of-7 series in Game 5 at T-Mobile Arena on Wednesday (9:30 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN, TVAS, CBC).
It’s a role Draisaitl relishes, despite having 106 points and leading the NHL with 52 goals in 71 games this season.
“I like to think that I can play any role that you give me,” Draisaitl said Wednesday. “Obviously a challenge like that excites me. I feel like whenever I’ve been given a challenge like that, I’ve always responded well.
“I know I’m very capable of scoring goals, and on the other side also defending very well and shutting someone down. Whatever it is I’m needed to do this time of year I’ll be doing.”
Shutting down Eichel is no easy task. The forward had an NHL career-high 94 points (28 goals, 66 assists) this season, but has just five assists through the first four games of the series.
Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said it’s unique to have an offensive star take as much pride in his defensive game and Draisaitl should be recognized for that as well. Draisaitl was plus-32 during the regular season, which was tied with Eichel for fifth-best among NHL forwards. Center Aliaksei Protas of the Washington Capitals had the best plus/minus among forwards at plus-40.
“In my opinion, Leon should win the Hart Trophy,” Knoblauch said about the race for the League’s regular-season most valuable player. “Maybe he doesn’t because he missed the last couple of weeks [because of injury], but I don’t think that’s enough for him not to win it.”
Knoblauch also thinks Draisaitl should be in the running for the Selke Trophy, which goes to the League’s best defensive forward. He is not a finalist for that award.
“If he was on the penalty kill regularly, he’s probably definitely in that conversation and getting that recognition,” Knoblauch said. “Just the fact that we have other guys that are contributing with the penalty kill and have more roles for other guys, we haven’t needed Leon to kill penalties this year. I think if he was killing penalties, that would be Selke consideration for sure, without a doubt. He can do it, he’s very good at it, he takes a lot of responsibility in his game.”
Draisaitl is a Hart Trophy finalist this season, along with goalie Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets and forward Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Teammate Kasperi Kapanen has his favorite.
“He’s probably, if not the best player, then probably the second-best player (to teammate Connor McDavid) in the world right now,” Kapanen said. “Me and [linemate Vasily Podkolzin] just try to get pucks to him and let him do his thing and be responsible on the other side of the puck.”
The 29-year-old in his 11th season and his trophy case has plenty of hardware.
He won the Hart Trophy and the Art Ross Trophy in 2019-20 as the NHL’s leading scorer with 110 points (43 goals, 67 assists). That season he also won the Ted Lindsay Award, which is presented annually to the "most outstanding player" in the NHL as voted by fellow members of the National Hockey League Players' Association.
This season, he collected the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy for leading the NHL in goals.
But the trophy he most covets is the Stanley Cup. He and the Oilers came close to winning it last season, losing 2-1 to the Florida Panthers in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final last season.
Trying to get back to the Cup Final and finishing the job is the reason Draisaitl is willing to take on a bigger defensive role during the playoffs at the expense of some offense.
“Because I want to win and know sometimes that’s what it takes to win,” Draisaitl said. “I can put my own stats on the back burner for a couple of months if that means that we’re going to be the last team standing. Obviously we have a long ways to go, but whatever it is, I’ll gladly do that.”
Having a player who has scored at least 50 goals four times, and at least 100 points in six seasons be willing to sacrifice offense for the good of the team is a nice luxury for the Oilers.
“You often think of those guys who are putting up a lot of points, they neglect the defensive responsibilities,” Knoblauch said. “Leon has never neglected his defensive responsibilities. In fact, if I was to show clips on how to backcheck and how to work, getting above the opposition, Leon would be the leading guy on all the clips that I can find, and he’s the one who does it the best.”
