"Definitely some urgency" - Leon Draisaitl answers questions around Oilers' Stanley Cup window

By Abhishek Dilta

Modified Oct 06, 2023 12:18 GMT

Leon Draisaitl had a career-high 128 points and his fourth 100-point campaign with the Edmonton Oilers last season. He was second to his teammate Connor McDavid as the league's second-leading goalscorer, and it seemed that this was the time for the two of them to finally lift the Stanley Cup.

However, the Oilers, for the second consecutive time, lost to the eventual champions in the playoffs. In 2022, they lost to the Colorado Avalanche, and last season suffered a defeat to the Vegas Golden Knights.

In the upcoming season, Leon Draisaitl will complete a decade with the Edmonton Oilers and the team will again enter the season as one of the favorites to win the Cup.

He recently spoke with Dan Rosen and Shawn P. Roarke of the NHL "The Rink" podcast, where the 27-year-old German discussed the Oilers' urgency to win the Stanley Cup.

Draisaitl said that the urgency of winning the cup is entirely different now which was not the same about a few years ago and winning hockey's biggest prize is ultimately the only goal left for the team to achieve now:

"These are the years that are most important," he said. "When you're 18, 19, 20, 21 and you miss the playoffs, the urgency isn't as high as it is now to win. That's the ultimate goal and that's the only thing left for us to do as a team."

He further added that the Oilers are in a good position to win the championship, citing his and McDavid's ages, but also emphasized that they need to keep working hard in order to make it happen:

"So, there's definitely some urgency, but I'm 27. It's not like I'm 37. Connor [McDavid] is 26. It's not like he's 38. We're in a really good spot and we need to be aware of that, make sure we improve, improve and hopefully we'll be the last team standing.

"I think we're very close," Draisaitl said.

Leon Draisaitl's NHL stats

Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton Oilers v Los Angeles Kings - Game Four

Draisaitl was drafted with the third overall pick by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2014 NHL draft. He made his league in the Oilers "Battle of Alberta" clash against the Calgary Flames on October 9, 2014.

The four-time NHL All-Star did struggle to settle in nicely with the Oilers in his first year. He accumulated only nine points on two goals and seven assists in his rookie year. However, following that there was no coming back.

In his fifth year with the Oilers, Leon Draisaitl had his first of four 100-point campaigns. In 2020, the 27-year-old was honored with the Art Ross Trophy, Ted Lindsay Award, and Hart Memorial Trophy.

Overall, he's played 638 games for the Oilers, accumulating 744 points on 306 goals and 438 assists.