Jun 12, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Edmonton Oilers center Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (93) celebrates scoring with center Leon Draisaitl (29) during the second period against the Florida Panthers in game four of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final at Amerant Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

Red Wings Legend Praises Oilers’ Leon Draisaitl

Originally posted on Breakaway on SI | By Jacob Punturi | Last updated Aug 11, 2025 9:00 AM ET

Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid is the undisputed best hockey player in the NHL and the world. It’s hard to argue with that statement when McDavid has been the most efficient point producer since entering the league, claiming five scoring titles in his first 10 campaigns and reaching the 1,000-point mark at the fourth-fastest pace in NHL history.

But the NHL doesn’t lack star power outside of McDavid. Tampa Bay Lighting superstar Nikita Kucherov is the back-to-back scoring champion in the NHL after compiling 265 points over the past two campaigns. Even on McDavid’s own team, there’s a player many consider to be the second-best player in the world or better.

Leon Draisaitl is one of the most dominating players in the league, but he often takes a backseat to McDavid’s greatness. That’s not how Hockey Hall of Famer and former Stanley Cup champion Pavel Datsyuk sees it, however. In a recent interview with Sergey Demidov of RG, the former Detroit Red Wings superstar laid out how much he loves Draisaitl’s game.

“I like Leon Draisaitl,” he said. “I disagree that he’s in Connor McDavid’s shadow – his decision-making speed is excellent. There are a lot of good players out there.”

The compliment from Datsyuk carries a ton of weight, and must be particularly pleasing for Draisaitl to hear. The two play a similar style, and it’s easy to see how Datsyuk’s silky-smooth playmaking abilities influenced Draisaitl and his creativity today.

Draisaitl has also shined in the biggest stages. The Oilers have suffered back-to-back losses in the Stanley Cup Finals to the Florida Panthers, but that hasn’t been due to Draisaitl’s failures. He’s been one of the most impressive postseason performers of his generation, and this past run displayed that even further.

Over the past two postseasons, Draisaitl has played in 47 games and recorded 21 goals and 64 points. During this most recent run, he also chipped in four overtime game-winning goals en route to the Stanley Cup Finals. That mark set a new NHL record for most overtime goals in a single postseason.

It’s performances like the one Draisaitl put together during the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs that make Datsyuk see him in the same light as McDavid. While the entire hockey community may not agree, Datsyuk is one of the most talented hockey players of his era and his praise of Draisaitl is a strong indication of how highly regarded the Oilers’ superstar is in today’s NHL.

This article first appeared on Breakaway on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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