Oftentimes, the term ‘underrated’ gets overused in the NHL world. For example, Florida Panthers forward Aleksander Barkov was said by many to be the game’s most underrated player for a ridiculous period of time. It was so long that after a while, it became apparent he was no longer underrated, as, despite that still being claimed, everyone was aware of how elite he was. Before Barkov, others such as Loui Eriksson and Oliver Ekman-Larsson seemed to take the title for a long time as well.
Related: Oilers Failed to Give Lavoie Proper Opportunity
Now, writers from Daily Faceoff have put out their own takes on who the game’s most underrated player is. There were some great suggestions, including Colorado Avalanche’s Mikko Rantanen, Boston Bruins’ David Pastrnak, Detroit Red Wings’ Dylan Larkin, and Dallas Stars’ Miro Heiskanen, just to name a few. One that was absent, however, was Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl.
Draisaitl Often Disrespected
In a quick thought, saying Draisaitl is underrated may sound ridiculous. After all, everyone is well aware that he puts up big points year after year and is a sure-fire Hall of Famer when his career is said and done. Taking a longer time to ponder the idea, however, will have it make more sense.
The biggest reason behind Draisaitl being underrated is that there is still a significant chunk of the hockey community who believes he is a byproduct of Connor McDavid. You often hear comments such as, “He plays with McDavid,” from fans who try to dismiss his video-game-like point totals. It’s a lazy argument, as the two have far more often than not played on separate lines in order to help balance the Oilers’ offence.
Since the 2016-17 season, Drasaitl’s 794 points are second amongst all NHLers, as are his 328 goals. Many who discredit him also like to make mention of the power play playing a large impact in his totals, which it does, but 508 of those points have come at even strength. Don’t get it confused, he is a magician on the man advantage, but is every bit as good at 5v5 play.
Draisaitl Ups His Game in the Playoffs
What also makes Draisaitl so special is his ability to up his game in the playoffs. He seemed to take some flack given his struggles in the Stanley Cup Final earlier this year, despite the fact he was playing with several noted injuries. In what was a down playoff performance for himself, he still managed 10 goals and 31 points in 25 games. Those are better numbers than a lot of the league’s best stars produce.
The best example of Draisaitl’s playoff dominance came in 2022, where he suffered a high-ankle sprain in the opening round. Not only did the injury not affect his play, but it almost seemed as if he got better. He wound up finishing with an absurd 32 points in 16 playoff games that year. He’s also never had a playoff year where he’s finished below a point-per-game pace, and has 108 total playoff points in just 74 games.
Disrespect Likely to Continue
Unfortunately for Draisaitl, he will never get the respect he deserves as long as he remains teammates with McDavid. It’s a very similar situation to what we have seen for so long with the Pittsburgh Penguins, where Sidney Crosby gets the love he rightfully deserves, but some seem to diminish Evgeni Malkin’s accomplishments and chalk it up to playing with No. 87.
Related: Oilers Are a Worse Team Than a Season Ago
Though it’s impossible to ever determine who is truly the most underrated player in the game, the fact that Draisaitl rarely, if ever, gets brought up in the conversation suggests that he is in fact just that. There has never been a player who produces like him yet gets disregarded as often as he does, and that even includes Malkin, who, while elite in his own right, never put up the numbers we have seen from the Oilers forward.
