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Leon Draisaitl Makes Bold Statement About His Defensive Abilities

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Sean Treppedi | Last updated Apr 9, 2025 11:10 PM ET

Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl is the minus-160 betting favorite to win the Hart Trophy for the NHL's most valuable player.

This is despite Draisaitl currently listed as day-to-day with an undisclosed injury that has caused him to miss three straight games and another four at the end of last month.

As of Wednesday evening, he leads the NHL with 52 goals and is third with 106 points (54 assists) in 71 games.

The 29-year-old German superstar has a decorated shelf, having won the Hart once before in 2019-20 along with the Art Ross, awarded to the league's leading point scorer, and the Ted Lindsay, an honor to the most outstanding player as voted by the players that season.

One piece of hardware that's missing from his collection is a Selke Trophy, which is awarded to the NHL's top defensive forward.

Defense has always been a struggle for the Oilers even while rostering the likes of Draisaitl and the league's unanimous premiere talent, Connor McDavid.

The two offensive weapons haven't receives adequate credibility as responsible defensive presences to complement their contributions to the scoresheet.

“[It's] almost more important than any other (individual) trophy at this point in time," Draisaitl said per Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman. "Obviously, there's been a lot of chatter about when we were younger that we can't defend. And the reason we don't win is because Connor and I can't defend or don't defend.

"And I think we've really changed that narrative around the league and especially the last couple of years. We're both really, really good defenders when we want to be. I think it's just the consistency part of doing it every night. And I think I've done that for the most part this year.”

Head coach Kris Knoblauch said on Wednesday that he expects Draisaitl to return to the lineup ahead of the first round; the Oilers have four games left in the regular season.

They sit in third place of the Pacific Division, which projects them to play the No. 2 seeded Los Angeles Kings.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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