If it were the 10 Nations Face-Off, Leon Draisaitl would be right there, leading Germany into a spurious NHL concoction this week in Boston and Montreal.
As it is, arguably the best player in the league will have to sit this one out as Canada, the United States, Sweden and Finland compete for right to be declared the best team out of those four teams.
So the league’s leading goal scorer (40 goals in 55 games) and second-highest point-getter (83) will be using this time to rest, relax and store up his energy reserves for the stretch drive and beyond.
This is the best-case scenario as far as the Oilers are concerned. Draisaitl is a big-minute guy — sixth most among NHL forwards at 21:45 — and having him fresh heading into March is exactly what they want.
He’s just fine with it, too. Sure, a 10 Nations Face-Off would be cool, but so is laying on a perfect beach in a tropical paradise. While the best players in the league are grinding it out in a made-for-television event, he’ll be enjoying a physical and mental vacation in advance of the stretch drive.
“I’d like to be in it but that’s not the case, so I’m not going to dwell on it too long,” he said. “It’s just the way it is. I’m excited for a little break.
“For the guys who are in the tournament, it’s going to be a great experience. Getting to represent your country and play for it against the other teams is always a great honour. It’s going to be a lot of fun, but I’m looking forward to the break.”
He might even watch some of the games if it fits into his schedule and he can find it on the resort’s programming.
“If I have time and it’s on the TV, I’ll be tuning in. It’s going to be some of the best hockey ever.”
For Draisaitl, playing in a best-on-best event is always going to be an elusive target. Germany is never getting invited to these manufactured tournaments, and he doesn’t want to play in the World Championships because that means the Oilers got bounced from the playoffs in the first couple of rounds.
That leaves 2026 in Milan, Italy, and the NHL’s return to the Olympic stage.
“It’s always fun, best on best, but the Olympics are what I have my eye set on,” he said.
Draisaitl’s limited international experience includes playing for Germany at the 2013 and 2014 World Junior Tournaments, and in 2016, he was part of Team Europe, an upstart group that advanced to the final of the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
That crew, a collection of players from Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Norway, Slovakia and Switzerland, with former Oilers coach Ralph Krueger behind the bench, beat the United States, the Czech Republic and then Sweden in the semifinal before losing to Canada in a best-of-three final.
It was a great underdog story that Draisaitl remembers fondly.
“I liked our team, I thought it was interesting. I don’t know how other people viewed it, but we certainly liked it. It was an all-around great experience.”
He wouldn’t mind seeing another version of that concept moving forward.
“There are lots of guys from smaller countries that you can build a really strong team around. We could create a really good team.”
North America vs. the world?
Big risk, no reward
Truth be told, as entertaining as the Canada-U.S. games might be, the last thing the Edmonton Oilers need right now is Connor McDavid and Mattias Ekholm going full tilt in the 4 Nations Face-Off.
They’d be better off putting their feet up for a couple of weeks, too. Every team in the NHL sending its best players off to battle in a meaningless late-season tournament is serious risk for very little reward.
There are Stanley Cup dreams that could be stopped dead in their tracks if one of these players gets hurt. The Oilers aren’t winning anything without McDavid or Ekholm in the lineup, so it’s enjoy the games and cross the fingers for fans, coaches and management.
“As coaches and an organization, we’re always holding our breath because we don’t want to see anything happen to our players,” said head coach Kris Knoblauch. “But all teams have their best players going to this tournament. We’re excited for them, they’re excited to be part of that tournament. It’s a great opportunity to play against the best.”
Can’t catch a break
McDavid and Ekholm will need a break of their own when they return to the Oilers, but that won’t be easy.
The 4 Nations final goes next Thursday and the Oilers play back-to-back road games on Saturday and Sunday to start a stretch of five road games in eight days.
Two of Edmonton’s most important players will be running on fumes.
“You have to have a plan on what’s best when they return,” said Knoblauch. “It’s something that we’ll consider in the schedule, if they can get a break, maybe not practise as much as the other guys.”
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