Oilers Insider Feels Superstar Leon Draisaitl A Favourite For Hart Trophy
Oilers insider Bob Stauffer spoke about Oilers superstar Leon Draisaitl and how he should be a candidate for the Hart Trophy.
Stauffer feels that Draisaitl have been the heartbeat of the Oilers all season as the team continues to adjust and improve on consistency as it currently sits 10-9-2 in the standings. It's clear that Draisaitl's game has elevated since he had signed his monster contract with the Oilers worth $14 million per season.
It's allowed him to clear his head and focus on how he can help the Oilers win more hockey games offensively and defensively which has been a task over the past several weeks. Through 21 games played, he has scored fifteen goals with 13 assists for 28 points and is a + 8.
The issue at hand for the Oilers and their consistency is the lack of depth in terms of secondary scoring and defensive play as the team has been reconfigured throughout the summer. Players like Jeff Skinner and Viktor Arvidsson have not come through for the Oilers it has put more pressure on the top players.
Even players like Zach Hyman who is now injured has seen a dramatic drop in his production after having a record goalscoring year last year. Prior to his injury in his last five games, he had not scored a goal and only registered one assist it is currently a - 3 through that stretch.
It certainly has been a challenging start for the Oilers and not what management, and the coaching staff expected as many felt the team would challenge easily for another playoff spot and potential Cup run.
But Stauffer was correct as he states that this is not last year's team, and they have a lot of work to do to get back to where they were.
Draisaitl and the Oilers will be at home on November 23rd where they will take on the high-flying New York Rangers. Game time will be 10:00 PM eastern.
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