{"id":443332,"date":"2024-06-21T09:27:48","date_gmt":"2024-06-21T13:27:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?p=443332"},"modified":"2024-06-21T09:27:48","modified_gmt":"2024-06-21T13:27:48","slug":"no-lack-opinions-edmonton-oilers-star-centre-these-playoffs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2024\/06\/21\/no-lack-opinions-edmonton-oilers-star-centre-these-playoffs\/","title":{"rendered":"No Lack of Opinions on Edmonton Oilers Star Centre These Playoffs"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Like bellybuttons, it seems that everyone has an opinion about gifted <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/category\/oilers\/\" target=\"_self\">Edmonton Oilers<\/a> centre <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/d\/draisle01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-06-21_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Leon Draisaitl<\/a>. This has been especially so during the 2024 NHL Stanley Cup Final. Therefore, some of these opinions we will touch on include the following<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>He should have been suspended for his Game 2 hit on <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/category\/panthers\/\" target=\"_self\">Florida Panthers<\/a> captain <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/b\/barkoal01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-06-21_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Aleksander Barkov<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>He\u2019s a whiner, not a winner.<\/li>\n<li>He\u2019s underperforming when it counts the most.<\/li>\n<li>He will test free agency at the end of his contract next summer.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>First up Regarding Leon Draisaitl\u2019s 2024 Playoffs and Avoiding Suspension<\/h2>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Florida Panthers media and fans were outraged when Draisaitl avoided suspension. After delivering a high hit to the jaw of Panthers forward Sasha Barkov during the third-period play of Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final, Panthers followers thought he should have been disciplined.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The hit occurred midway through the third period, with less than 10 minutes to play and the Panthers leading the game 2-1. Draisaitl came over the Panthers blueline, and<\/span> <span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">collided with the Panthers\u2019 captain, his elbow connecting with his jaw. Barkov immediately fell to the ice, clearly injured, and <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">was unable to<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> return to the game. Draisaitl was given a two-minute penalty for the hit. The Panthers ultimately went on to win the game 4-1. Panthers players, media, and fans were understandably concerned over losing Barkov for any length of time. He is their captain, arguably the best player, and a <\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2021\/06\/18\/aleksander-barkov-announced-frank-j-selke-trophy-winner\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Frank J. Selke Trophy finalist<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">. The award is given annually to the forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Objectively, <\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.yardbarker.com\/nhl\/articles\/oilers_star_expected_to_avoid_suspension_for_controversial_hit_in_game_2_of_scf\/s1_13132_40472334\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Draisaitl\u2019s hit hardly merited further discipline<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">. While the hit was high and connected with Barkov\u2019s jaw, the right penalty was assessed on the ice. \u00a0Draisaitl\u2019s arms were low and his elbows <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">in<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> tight to his body when the hit occurred. If New York Rangers <\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/t\/troubja01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-06-21_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Jacob Trouba<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> didn\u2019t get any supplementary discipline for his <\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.oilersdaily.com\/nhl\/news\/trouba-in-line-for-massive-suspension-after-another-elbow-to-the-head\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">elbow on Panthers forward Evan Rodrigues<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> during their May 26th Eastern Conference Final Game 3, there was little to no chance Draisaitl would be disciplined for a much less egregious hit. The league standard had been set. In this case, in this game, for this penalty, the right call was made.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>HE\u2019S A WHINER!<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.msn.com\/en-ca\/sports\/nhl\/draisaitl-can-get-really-whiny-wicked-smack-talk-heats-up-in-florida-about-edmonton-oilers\/ar-BB1nMvPE\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Based on what they have seen in the playoffs, the Florida media accuses Leon Draisaitl of being a whiner<\/a>. If so, the accusation puts him in good company. For example, imagine placing yourself in the Calgary Saddledome through NHL games in the 1980s and watching <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockeyforum.com\/threads\/greatest-hockey-chants.22461\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Flames fans chanting that Oiler great Wayne Gretzky was a whiner. <\/a>That was a clear case of \u201csour grapes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Of course, Draisaitl is not Gretzky. He has never won a Stanley Cup, yet anyway. But he is arguably, one of the top-five players in the world&#8217;s best league. And Leon Draisaitl&#8217;s history in the playoffs show that he is the antithesis of a whiner. One only has to look at his last two playoffs.<\/p>\n<h4>Example #1<\/h4>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">In Game 6 of the 2022 first-round series against the Los Angeles Kings, Kings defenceman <\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2023\/02\/15\/los-angeles-kings-lock-up-young-defencemen-long-term\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Mikey Anderson<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> introduced the star German to North American rodeo steer wrestling well after the play <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">was over<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">. Anderson body-slammed him to the ice during a post-whistle scrum. The tackle gave Draisatl a high-ankle sprain. High ankle sprains are one of the most painful and slow-healing injuries, worse <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">even<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> than a break. The high ankle sprain severely limited Draisaitl&#8217;s mobility, yet he still managed to tally seven goals and 25 assists in 16 playoff games.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Despite the severity of the injury, <\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/nhl\/story\/_\/id\/34058439\/edmonton-oilers-leon-draisaitl-excelled-ankle-sprain\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Draisaitl declined <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">to officially confirm the news<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">. He left that up to Oilers General Manager Ken Holland <\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">during his end-of-season media availability. Far from \u201cwhining,\u201d Draisaitl said he \u201cwouldn\u2019t make it about me&#8221; when so many players fought through ailments.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Example #2<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">In Game 4 of the second-round 2023 playoffs against the Vegas Golden Knights, <\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2023\/05\/09\/golden-knights-oilers-heats-up-round-2\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Knights defenceman Alex Pietrangelo brutally slashed Leon Draisaitl.<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> The incident happened with just over a minute left in the third period, well after Draisaitl had taken a shot at the empty Golden Knights net. Pietrangelo skated up to Draisaitl and delivered a <\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=iXxh6JZeIuE\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">forceful two-handed slash to Draisaitl&#8217;s arm<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">, earning him a <\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/dailyhive.com\/edmonton\/oilers-draisaitl-speaks-pietrangelo-slash\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">five-minute major penalty and a game misconduct<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u200b.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Instead of whining, Draisaitl <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">just<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> skated by the Golden Knights bench and told them it didn\u2019t matter. They couldn\u2019t hurt him. In fact, he didn\u2019t miss a shift. Instead, he just went on to outperform his regular season stats again. Indeed, it was only the next season, during a regular season game, that Draisaitl mocked Pietrangelo\u2019s slash. He did so by faking a similar one on Pietrangelo\u2019s arm to show him that while it wasn\u2019t forgotten, he was intent on playing, not retaliating.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Depending on your point of view, Draisaitl is either arrogant or confident, but confidence is a must in professional sports. You can\u2019t get that far without having unshakeable faith in yourself. What he isn\u2019t, is a whiner.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>What About Opinions on Leon Draisaitl&#8217;s Playoffs Based on Injury<\/h3>\n<p>Draisaitl had impressive scoring statistics during the first three rounds of this year&#8217;s playoffs. That has dried up in this final series against the Panthers. Edmonton sports radio hosts, such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sports1440.ca\/2023\/08\/31\/the-lowdown-with-lowetide\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Allan Mitchell on Lowedown With Lowe Tide,<\/a> speculates that he is once again playing injured. That is backed up by the facts. Draisaitl, along with fellow Oilers <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/n\/nurseda01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-06-21_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Darnell Nurse<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2022\/02\/01\/evander-kane-deal-oilers-star-power\/\" target=\"_self\">Evander Kane<\/a> has been taking numerous &#8220;maintenance days&#8221; while the rest of the team practices. Both Kane and Nurse have had to miss gametime against the Panthers due to the injuries. On the other hand, Draisaitl hasn&#8217;t.<\/p>\n<p>Yes, Draisaitl&#8217;s scoring is down against the Panthers. In contrast, his defensive play has blossomed. As befits a centre, he is the first man back in the defensive zone and has dramatically altered his style of play. Gone are the risky, blind behind-the-back passes at either blue line. They are replaced with sound defensive play. Asked by an Edmonton sportswriter at the start of the playoffs if it killed him a little bit each time he had to dump the puck instead of making plays, Draisaitl answered with one word: &#8220;Yes.&#8221; And yet, he keeps doing it. Because he knows that&#8217;s what it takes to win in the playoffs.<\/p>\n<h3>A Scary Rumour for Oiler Fans, Draisaitl Won\u2019t Re-Sign<\/h3>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Draisatl has one year left on his current Oilers contract. Rumors are out there that he won&#8217;t re-sign,<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcsportsbayarea.com\/nhl\/san-jose-sharks\/rumors-leon-draisaitl-free-agent\/1735266\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> tying him to the German owner of the San Jose Sharks<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">. This was only exacerbated by Draisaitl\u2019s comment that he was <\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.yardbarker.com\/nhl\/articles\/what_did_draisaitl_mean_by_going_to_do_whats_best_for_me\/s1_16454_39804879\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u201cgoing to do what\u2019s best for me\u201d<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> when asked about his plans in an Edmonton press conference <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">back<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> in January.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Don&#8217;t<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> count on that meaning he will seek out greener pastures. Mitchell calls Draisaitl and fellow superstar <\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/m\/mcdavco01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-06-21_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Connor McDavid<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> the &#8220;glimmer twins.&#8221; The two go together like schnitzel and walleye, Apfelstrudel and beavertails. They are best friends. They holiday together in the offseason. Don&#8217;t be surprised to see Draisaitl as McDavid&#8217;s best man at his <\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.msn.com\/en-us\/sports\/nhl\/in-photos-connor-mcdavids-fianc%C3%A9e-lauren-kyle-shares-pictures-with-sam-gagners-wife-rachel-and-others-traveling-to-florida-for-stanley-cup-final\/ar-BB1nSboG\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">upcoming<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> wedding<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">. Edmonton is likely the only place where salary-cap restrictions <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">will<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> allow them to play together.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">This year&#8217;s Stanley Cup Final appearance has only whetted their appetite to win Cups. McDavid left obvious money on the table in his last contract in order to leave cap space to build a team around him. Draisaitl&#8217;s current contract was considered an overpay by former Oilers GM<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2019\/01\/23\/edmonton-oilers-fire-peter-chiarelli\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> Peter Chiarelli<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> but has turned into probably the league\u2019s best bargain. Both could well repeat the process <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">again<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">, either to win their first Cup or continue the first of many.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>Our Last Word on the Final Verdicts<\/h3>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Was Draisaitl\u2019s hit on Barkov suspendable? Nope. Is he a winner or a whiner? Winner. Moreover, does Draisaitl underperform when it counts the most? No, again. Underscoring, but this is highly likely due to injury and he compensating by contributing mightily on the other side of the puck. Finally, on his future in Edmonton. He will re-sign, not resign. Stay tuned to watch Draisaitl and his Oilers, as puck drop on Game 6 of the 2024 NHL Stanley Cup Final series vs the Panthers happens tonight at 6 PM local time (8 PM Eastern Daylight Time) from what will surely be a raucous Rogers Place.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Main photo credit: Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Like bellybuttons, it seems that everyone has an opinion about gifted Edmonton Oilers centre Leon Draisaitl. This has been especially so during the 2024 NHL Stanley Cup Final. Therefore, some of these opinions we will touch on include the following He should have been suspended for his Game 2 hit on Florida Panthers captain Aleksander [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5199,"featured_media":442826,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[23,4547,4548],"tags":[138,193],"class_list":["post-443332","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-oilers","category-hockey","category-nhl","tag-edmonton-oilers","tag-leon-draisaitl"],"modified_by":"Levi Pike, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/443332","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5199"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=443332"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/443332\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/442826"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=443332"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=443332"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=443332"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}