With the spotlight on McDavid and where he might request a trade, what about Draisaitl?
PUBLICATION
Cole Hayes
January 22, 2022 (3:01 PM)
The Edmonton Oilers are currently on a downward spiral, losing 13 of their last 15 games and are coming off of an embarrassing 6-0 loss to the Florida Panthers. Many have been quick to blame the players, perhaps calling those who look discouraged and frustrated with the recent results, but this spiral falls solely on Ken Holland. His lack of ability to address team needs could cost him one or both of his superstar players. Many have talked about whether or not the clock is ticking on Connor McDavid's time in Edmonton but the one we should be talking about is Leon Draisaitl.
The Oilers made many detrimental moves this summer. They gave up assets for Duncan Keith without any salary retention, they didn't upgrade either goaltender in their tandem, and they watched the 2020 Leafs and decided to replicate their defence by re-signing Tyson Barrie and giving Cody Ceci a 4-year contract that pays him $3.2 million per season. They brought in Zach Hyman, which has yielded mixed results, but ultimately, they used the cap space they had on moves that won't fix the Oilers problems. That's on the GM.
It was common knowledge that if Mcdavid and Draisaitl struggled, it meant the Oilers would struggle. That being said, nobody thought it would get this bad in Edmonton. Connor McDavid seems to publicly be content with the moves that the Oilers are making. When he was asked about the possibilities of the Oilers bringing in Evander Kane he said "it is what it is", but signing Evander Kane won't fix what is fundamentally wrong with the Oilers. We haven't seen the same pushback with regard to the Oilers' struggles from McDavid as we have seen from Leon Draisaitl.
Draisaitl got into it with reporter Jim Matheson on Tuesday when he was asked what the main reason for the recent Oilers losses were. When Draisaitl said "we have to get better at everything" Matheson provoked him by calling him "pissy." It was a blowup between a player and media that hasn't been seen in a major hockey media market since Phil Kessel and Dave Feschuk in 2015.
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The frustration from both McDavid and Draisaitl is clear, but the two have gone about it in different ways. Publicly, McDavid has been much more cliché and been the robot that hockey players are expected to be. Draisaitl on the other hand, has been vocal about the frustration and has been pretty blunt considering how conservative hockey players are when talking to the media.
Trading Connor McDavid would result in yet another rebuild in Edmonton and quite frankly is a trade that you will not win. McDavid has shown the "it is what it is" mindset which also makes me believe that he'll remain an Oiler until at least the expiration of his current contract.
Trading Leon Draisaitl would not be good for the Oilers either. However, if they play their cards right it's a deal they could win. Draisaitl appears to be the more frustrated out of the two superstar forwards.
Seeing the difference in the treatment of the two forwards during these struggles for the Oilers and Ken Holland's unwillingness to make the necessary changes, fans and media should be talking more about the clock ticking on Leon Draisaitl possibly wanting out of Edmonton rather than Connor McDavid. Food for thought.
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