Leon Draisaitl making an unbreakable case for MVP

Published on March 15, 2025 • Last updated 1 hour ago • 5 minutes to read

Edmonton Oilers Center Leon Draisaitl (29) celebrates a win-win goal in the NHL hockey game in Elmont, NY, on Friday, March 14, 2025. Photo by Angelina Katsanis /AP

The regular season is not over yet.

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But if so, Leon Draisaitl should lead the NHL MVP vote.

I believe there are many reasons for this. But the first is that he leads the league in the toughest things in hockey.

And he won’t just lead a little bit.

9 Things

9. Noah Philp plays third in Bakersfield. There is nothing to say that we are not serious about developing such a person. More about the need for the Oilers to need another center in a big club…

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8. Another prospect Roby Jarventie is leaving the organization to play in Finland. This player was obtained in the Xavier Bourgault deal. But the injury (knee) has derailed and he has barely played for the Condor.

7. Do you feel this way about you? This is not easy for the Oilers this season. The Blue Ribbon Oilers game-by-game Jack Michaels said Friday’s victory was Edmonton’s 11th grade this year, worse than the NHL record.

6. CalvinPickard is only the second-place assistant in team history for the O/T goalkeeper in the overtime champion’s assist against the New York Islanders. The only other is Mike Smith three years ago, which was a fantastic post-hander to Connor McDavid against San Jose’s hockey. More information about Picard…

5. Criticism of Edmonton’s highly competitive forces playing out. I think this is misleading. In fact, it hits (26.4%) more or less the same pace (26.4%) as last season (26.6%) this year. Disappointed are opportunities (159 vs. 192). Some would say this is because the Oilers are not that fast this season. But I didn’t really buy it. Calls across the league will drop. Edmonton’s people have the least problem.

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4. The Oiler hasn’t had a real 4C game for a while. I respect the efforts of Mattias Janmark (42, 3%) and Kasperi Kapanen (39.5%) to fill the spot. This is not easy, especially at the highest level in the NHL. But now is the time to recall Derek Ryan. We all know who Ryan is, and not 38 years old. He will not be the Savior. But the Oiler doesn’t have his 0.500. They need a “real” center. They need a “real” right-handed confrontation guy. PK struggled. The club’s leaders may also want Ryan to return to the room. I hope by the end of Sunday’s day, he will.

3. There have been some recent comments about how Oiler D-Men shoots too many low percentage shots online, partly because it also helps to rush to fight when the puck flips. I agree with the data. But I don’t agree with the conclusion. The bigger problem is that the forwards don’t create enough traffic ahead before shooting, and there’s not enough hockey fight when sitting there. I saw a lot of rebounds cleared safely. This part is a roster: people like Evander Kane and Warren Foegele are good at getting into the net. But nothing can stop others from doing this on the ice.

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2. I wonder if the Edmonton Oilers can continue a successful season, and will we look back at Calvin Picard’s overtime game against the Islanders on Friday? His confident interception and pass to Connor and Leon has a greater influence on the winner than on the scoreboard. Not only do you get an offensive contribution from the last person on the ice, you might expect from the ice. But Leon Draisaitl’s reaction on the ice really proves how big that moment was. Pickard is a very fond person. It lifts the entire bench to its feet and exhales some air into an old room. This is important for a club that is indeed in a downturn. That moment could be an important turning point.

1. Leon Draisaitl’s performance on Friday night boldly illustrates why he should be a favorite of the 2024-25 NHL MVP. He actually put the club on his back in that game and hopes they win, just like he did throughout the season. In a year when Connor McDavid wasn’t as “Connor” as we usually see, Draisaitl’s value for the season to the team has been announced. Despite the club’s overall performance uneven, he has always been the best player in Edmonton and the number one in which they are. He has done a lot with the third-tier quality winger. I’m not disrespectful to those players. But this is the truth.

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Statistically speaking, it is not difficult to use MVP. Entering Saturday’s action, Draisaitl was at 100 points, with only two points behind Nathan Mackinnon. Watch: Nate Mackinnon is someone I have all kinds of respect. But Leon scored 22 more goals than McKinnon. twenty two! Draisaitl leads 13 years ahead of William Nylander’s NHL lead. For me, this is a significant difference. In fact, this is the biggest gap of thirty-two seasons!

Remember: Auston Matthews won Hart in 2021-22. He got sixty, which was an amazing achievement. He was only sixth in 106 points (by the way, Draisaitl scored fifty-five goals and 110 points back then). But the goal is “it”. In the NHL…scoring, this is the hardest thing to do. Leon is the first in goals (49), even the Strength goal (34), the Strength goal (15) and the goal to win the game (10).

Draisaitl has also been very stable. He has only been detained twice since November. The two points earned on Friday mean he has earned the most 100-point season since 2018-19 (6). And his defensive game has never been so high (+29, 54.5% standoff, etc.).

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There are 16 games left. Things may still change. But if the vote is held today, those without Draisaitl will have some explanations at the top of the vote.

Newly bluesky @kurtleavins.bsky.social. On Twitter @kurtleavins, threads @kleavins, leavinsonhockey’s Instagram, even on kurtleavins@mstdn.social, even on mastodon. This article is not generated by AI.