The regular season is not over yet.
But if it were, Leon Draisaitl should lead the NHL’s MVP voting.
There are many reasons why I believe that. But number one is that he leads the league in the very hardest thing there is to do in hockey.
And he does not lead by just a little bit.
That and more in this edition of…
9 Things
9. Noah Philp was playing on the third line the other night in Bakersfield. Nothing says we are not serious about developing a guy quite like that. More on the Oilers’ need for another Center on the big club in a moment…
8. Another prospect, Roby Jarventie, is leaving the organization to play in Finland. The player was acquired in the Xavier Bourgault trade. But injuries (knee) have derailed his career, and he has barely played for the Condors.
7. Does it feel this way to you? That not much at all has come easy for the Oilers this season. The blue-ribbon Oilers play-by-play man Jack Michaels says Friday’s O/T win was Edmonton’s eleventh of the year, two shy of an NHL record.
6. Calvin Pickard’s assist on the overtime winner against the New York Islanders was only the second helper by a goaltender in O/T in franchise history. The only other one was Mike Smith three years ago, that fabulous back-handed swat up the ice to Connor McDavid versus San Jose. More on Pickard coming up…
5. There has been some criticism of late of Edmonton’s much-vaunted Power Play. I think that is misdirected. It is actually clicking along at more or less the same rate this year (26.4%) as it did last season (26.6%). What is down are the opportunities (159 versus 192). Some will say it is because the Oilers are not as fast this season. But I do not really buy that. Calls are down across the league. Edmonton’s man advantage is the least of their problems.
4. The Oilers have been playing without a real 4C for quite a while now. I respect the effort of guys like Mattias Janmark (42,3% on the dot) and Kasperi Kapanen (39.5%) for playing out of position to fill the slot. That is not easy, especially at the highest level, in the NHL. But the time has come to recall Derek Ryan. We all know who Ryan is and is not at thirty-eight. He will not be a savior. But the Oilers are below .500 without him. They need a “real” Center. They need a “real” right-handed faceoff man. The PK has struggled. And the leaders on this club probably want Ryan back in the room, too. I expect by the end of day Sunday, he will be.
3. There have been some comments lately about how the Oilers D-men are taking too many low percentage shots on net and how, in part, that is also contributing to rush chances against when the puck turns over. I agree with the data. But I do not agree with the conclusions. The bigger problem is that the forwards are not creating enough traffic in front prior to the shot and not winning enough puck battles when there is a rebound just sitting there. I see a lot of rebounds being safely cleared away. That is partly a roster thing: Guys like Evander Kane and Warren Foegele are great at going to the net. But nothing is stopping the other guys on the ice from doing it.
2. I wonder if the Edmonton Oilers go on to a successful season whether we will look back upon the play by Calvin Picard on overtime against the Islanders Friday? His confident interception and passing up to Connor and Leon on the winner had an impact greater than the one on the scoreboard. Not only do you get an offensive contribution from the very last person on the ice that you might expect it from. But the reaction of Leon Draisaitl on the ice really demonstrated how big that moment was. Pickard is a very well-liked guy. It lifted the entire bench onto its feet, and breathed some air into a stale room. For a club that has really been in the doldrums, that matters. That moment may turn out to be an important turning point.
1.Leon Draisaitl’s performance on Friday night put a boldface on why he deserves to be the favorite for 2024-25 NHL MVP. He literally put the club on his back in that game and willed them to victory, much like he has all season. In a year where Connor McDavid has not been quite as “Connor” as we would typically see, Draisaitl’s value to the team this season has been pronounced. He has consistently been Edmonton’s best player and the number one reason they are where they are, despite an uneven performance by the club overall. And he has done a lot of this with third-line quality wingers. I do not mean any disrespect to those players. But its a fact.
Statistically, it is not hard to make the MVP case, either. Going into Saturday’s action, Draisaitl was at one hundred points, just two back of Nathan MacKinnon. And look: Nate MacKinnon is a guy for whom I have all kinds of respect. But Leon has twenty-two more goals than MacKinnon. Twenty-two! And Draisaitl is thirteen ahead of William Nylander for the NHL lead. To me that is a significant difference maker. In fact, it is the biggest gap in thirty-two seasons!
Remember: Auston Matthews won the Hart in 2021-22. He scored sixty, an amazing accomplishment. He was only sixth in points with 106 (Draisaitl had fifty-five goals and 110 points that year, by the way). But goals are “it.” It is the hardest thing to do in the NHL…score. And Leon is first in Goals (49), Even Strength Goals (34), Power Play Goals (15) and Game-Winning Goals (10).
Draisaitl has also been startlingly consistent. He has only been held without a point twice since November. The two points earned Friday means he has garnered the most 100-point seasons since 2018-19 (six). And his defensive game has never been higher (+29, 54.5% on faceoffs, etc.).
There are sixteen games remaining. Things could still shift. But if the balloting were held today, those who did not have Draisaitl on the top of their ballot would have some explaining to do.
Newly on Bluesky @kurtleavins.bsky.social. On Twitter @KurtLeavins, Threads @kleavins, Instagram at LeavinsOnHockey, and even on Mastodon at [email protected]. This article is not AI generated.
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