Edmonton Oilers: Where does Leon Draisaitl rank among the European greats after seven years?
In the upper echelon of European players, where does Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl rank after his first seven years in the NHL?
The German-born forward is arguably the greatest player to come out of the country and it wouldn’t be hard to believe if it remains that way after he retires.
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But what is hard to believe is that this is Draisaitl’s seventh year in the show. It feels as if he has been in the league for only a few seasons. The No. 3 overall pick by the Oilers in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, along with Oilers captain Connor McDavid, has been one of the NHL’s most coveted talents by far. And at the age of just 25, there is a lot more to come.
Looking at the greatest European players to ever play the game, I wondered how Leon Draisaitl would compare to the top five scorers? What did they accomplish in their first seven seasons and is Draisaitl roughly around the same numbers?
It’s a convoluting case to say the least. I’m comparing apples to oranges here. But if Draisaitl is any where near close to what these great players produced, a projection can be made of where he could end up, right?
There’s a plenitude of questions to ask. So many numbers to dive into. Not to give anything away, I would have included Slovakian-born player Stan Mikita, but the Chicago Blackhawks legend moved to St. Catherines, Ontario when he was just a boy and he played internationally for Canada.
Without further ado, here’s a look how Germany’s greatest player yet takes on the best of the best from his continent. All the numbers used in this comparison are regular-season stats, retrieved from NHL.com and all-time stats are according to Quanthockey.com.
Where does Leon Draisaitl rank among fellow Europeans after seven years in the NHL?
Alexander Ovechkin
Let’s start off with The Great Eight. Alexander Ovechkin is the linchpin of the Washington Capitals. There’s no doubt he will enter the Hockey Hall of Fame, there’s no doubt he is the greatest player the franchise has ever seen and there isn’t any doubt whatsoever that he is one of the most formidable goalscorers of our time.
Ovechkin is ranked seventh all-time in goals with 716 and he’s also 35th all-time in points with 1,298 (716 G, 582 A). He is only two points behind Calgary Flames legend Jarome Iginla for 34th on the list.
In Ovechkin’s first seven seasons as a Capitals forward, not only did he score on his back against the Phoenix Coyotes in 2006 but he also recorded four seasons north of 100 points and eight seasons with 50 or more goals. That trumps Draisaitl already, who only has two seasons north of 100 points to his name within his first seven years in the NHL.
Ovechin flew out of the gates since being chosen First Overall by the Washington Capitals in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft. In his first seven seasons in the league Ovechkin recorded 679 points (339 G, 340 A). Draisaitl has 467 points (184 G, 283 A) thus far.
Mats Sundin
Mats Sundin became the first ever European-born player to be drafted No. 1 overall.
Sundin, was taken at the front of the 1989 NHL Entry Draft by the Quebec Nordiques and was dealt to Toronto where he would cement his legacy as the greatest Maple Leaf of all time.
In Sundin’s first seven seasons with the Nordiques and the Maple Leafs respectively, the Bromma, Sweden native recorded 558 points (232 G, 326 A). That’s 92 points more than Draisaitl.
And similarly to the Edmonton Oilers’ tandem, the Nordiques had quite the tandem themselves with the likes of Sundin and Canadian legend Joe Sakic gracing the ice. He also had an experienced Stanley Cup winner with Montreal Canadiens icon Guy LaFleur to look up to and another rising star in Owen Nolan.
And when he was traded to the Maple Leafs in 1994 in a six-player deal that involved Wendel Clark, Sundin had the likes of the great Doug Gilmour, Dave Andreychuk and the legendary Mike Gartner, who ranks eighth all time in scoring just behind Ovechkin. In other words, both guys had some help with the scoring here.
If this season was a full 82-game schedule you could make the argument that Draisaitl could have come close to Sundin’s number. This is the anecdote within the comparison that sets Draisaitl back and the worst part of it all is, it is simply out of his control.
There’s no telling he would have surpassed it however. Draisaitl would have needed 137 points in this calendar year to do so and that is unlikely even for a player of his calibre. Mats Sundin is 28th all-time with 1,349 points (564 G, 785 A) in 1,346 games.
Jari Kurri
Jari Kurri was taken No. 69 overall in the 1980 NHL Entry Draft and he turned into an absolute all-time steal for the Edmonton Oilers.
It’s fitting to compare Draisaitl to one of the greatest players to don the Edmonton Oilers jersey. What isn’t completely fair, however, is that Kurri had one of the most stacked teams in history in his first seven seasons with the Oilers, winning three Stanley Cups to boot.
Kurri recorded over 100 points in five consecutive seasons in the Oilers’ journey to supremacy. He also played with Wayne Gretzky who recorded over 200 points in four of those seasons. Not to mention Mark Messier, Paul Coffey and Glen Anderson who were on the team and racking up some insane numbers as well.
In total, in his first seven seasons, one of the greatest Finnish players of all time had 752 points (354 G, 398 A). This is a tough comparison, considering how good the team was. The 1984-85 Oilers was voted in 2017 by fans as the greatest NHL team ever assembled.
This is no shade on Jari Kurri, of course, because the Finnish Flash was an exceptional player with an affability to find the open man and fire the puck into the net. In comparison, Kurri’s point total far exceeds Draisaitl’s and comparing two eras of the franchise, and the sport itself, will be a never-ending argument.
For Instance, Jari Kurri played in the 80s when pads were smaller and the game was totally different. Leon Draisaitl plays in an era where athletes are required to be in pristine shape and the game is more technical than it has ever been before. Kurri is 21st all-time with 1,398 points (601 G, 797 A) in 1,251 games played.
Teemu Selanne
Teemu Selanne was taken 10th overall by the Winnipeg Jets in 1988, but didn’t play his first NHL game until the 1992-93 season. However, in his first year in the league, Selanne exploded for an NHL Rookie record 132 points (76 G, 56 A) in 84 games for the Jets.
Following a few seasons with the Jets, in 1995-96 he was traded to Anaheim and in his second season with the Ducks, Selanne recorded over 100 points for the second time in his career.
In his first seven seasons, Selanne recorded 537 points in the NHL (266 G, 271 A). Of course that’s more than Draisaitl’s 464 points. If the season was at its full 82-game capacity – similar to the Mats Sundin predicament – it can be argued Draisaitl would have been close to Selanne’s points-total.
The only disparity within this analysis, though, is that Selanne played over 70 NHL games in three seasons in this span, whereas Draisaitl has played over 70 games in five seasons. Despite the lack of time on the ice, Selanne’s track record is remarkable. But, unfortunately, history is history and there is no changes the numbers.
Here, I would give the slight edge to Selanne but Draisaitl very much hangs in the balance in this comparison. And of course, Teemu Selanne would go on to play in 1,451 NHL games in his 23-year-career and is ranked 16th all-time in points with 1,457 (684 G, 773 A).
Jaromir Jagr
Jaromir Jagr is widely considered as the greatest European player in the NHL and there’s a very good reason for that.
The Ageless Wonder began his career winning multiple Stanley Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1991 and 1992 alongside Canadian icon Mario Lemieux. Jagr played with one of the greatest players the NHL had ever seen, and Jagr managed to break out into prominence by recording 608 points in his first seven seasons (251 G, 357 A).
When Lemieux was diagnosed with cancer in 1993, Jagr stepped up to the plate and led the Penguins while Lemieux was recovering. In his seventh year, Jagr recorded a career high 149 points (62 G, 87 A) in 82 games during the 1995-1996 season.
Jagr idolized Lemieux and one of his nicknames was Mario Jr. as the two carried the Pittsburgh Penguins as far as the organization could go. This is parallel to Draisaitl’s current situation in Edmonton. Although I’m not sure if he idolizes McDavid in the same way. Don’t worry, we won’t nickname him Connor Jr.
Jagr spent almost 29 years in the NHL, amassing 1,921 points (766 G, 1,155 A) in 1,733 games. He is second in the league’s all-time scoring list behind Wayne Gretzky, which tells you all you need to know about Jaromir Jagr’s legendary career.
Comparing Leon Draisaitl to the top five European players points-wise in the history of the league, we see that the German starlet comes close to only Mats Sundin and Teemu Selanne in his timeline. It would have been quite difficult to include Playoff numbers as well considering Draisaitl has only been to the postseason twice in his career.
But unlike all of the players he is compared to, Draisaitl’s name never emerged as quickly as the others. In his first year in the league, he played 37 games and only put up two goals and seven assists for a total of nine points in 37 games.
He was a player that had to develop in order to become who he is now. And he will continue to not only be one of the league’s greatest young stars, but he will also spearhead the German nation in the right direction. He will be the idol for young German hockey players who aspire to be in his shoes one day. Ottawa Senators starlet Tim Stutzle, who was the No. 3 overall pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, is already making a name for himself in the NHL in his rookie year.
At the age of 25, there is a long way to go for Leon Draisaitl. And the best part of it all is he does most of his damage on the second line without Connor McDavid. The only exception is on the power play or late in games when the Oilers are desperate for goals. This year, Draisaitl is in the conversation for the Hart Trophy, along with McDavid and Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews.
In 29 games Draisaitl has 45 points (16 G, 29 A) and is second in NHL scoring behind McDavid.
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In the history books there is no telling what more Draisaitl will have in the tank. And the daunting question will be, how many more years can he remain consistent? I believe he has it in him to surpass 1,000 NHL regular season points. Especially since, I believe anyway, that he will continue to average at least 100 points a season over the next few years. In total, I think Leon Draisaitl can sneak his way into the top 50 for all-time points. He will need a minimum of 737 points to do so, as Patrick Marleau currently holds that spot today.