Hockey Legend Don Cherry Has Surprising Opinion on Leon Draisaitl's Performance Without McDavid

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Liam McCormick
November 3, 2024 (4:08 PM)

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Don Cherry has been an iconic voice in the hockey world for decades now, and he's still going at 90 years old on his Grapevine Podcast.

On the most recent episode, Cherry provided a somewhat surprising opinion on Oilers superstar Leon Draisaitl. Cherry has vocally not been too fond of skilled European players in the past, but he had nothing but praise for Draisaitl.

On the Grapevine Podcast, Cherry was asked about how he thinks the Oilers will fare without McDavid in the lineup for a few weeks. Cherry was emphatic that Draisaitl would be able to pick up the slack for Edmonton, and be able to lead them offensively through the time.

»You watch Draisaitl. Draisaitl always picks it up.»
- Don Cherry, Grapevine podcast

In true Don Cherry fashion, he absolutely butchered the pronunciation of Draisaitl's name. It came out pretty much as «Dice Idol», which is sure to draw a chuckle from hockey fans.

Cherry's cohosts were correct to point out that the Oilers are also missing Evander Kane this year, and Zach Hyman has been mired in a brutal scoring slump. Leon Draisaitl wasn't at his best level early this season, but he's been the team's most consistent scorer now. With McDavid out of the lineup for the first time last game, Draisaitl came through for his best game of the season with 2 goals and an assist against the Nashville Predators.

After getting his big money contract last offseason and committing to Edmonton as his only shot at a Stanley Cup, Draisaitl needs to be the one to step up and lead the Oilers with McDavid unavailable, and he's off to a great start after the Nashville game. It's rare for Don Cherry to give a vote of confidence to a player like Draisaitl, so it may actually give some old-school fans a reason to relax and trust Edmonton's talent.