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

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).