Edmonton Oilers: Where does Leon Draisaitl rank among the European greats after seven years?

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.