Legacy is hanging over Leon Draisaitl in a way it never has before, and he isn’t trying to dodge it.
The Edmonton Oilers star said his personal trophy case matters, but only up to a point. What he wants remembered is bigger than individual hardware.
“I’ve been fortunate to have won some personal trophies, and that’s all nice, and I’m proud of it and all that, but at the end of the day I play a team sport, and I want to be remembered as a Stanley Cup winner,” he told The Athletic’s Chris Johnston during the NHL’s European Player Media Tour.
That idea has clearly been front and center for Draisaitl, especially after Edmonton came so close to the Stanley Cup twice. It also helps explain why Mike Babcock was brought in, and Draisaitl’s comments on the coach made it clear the Oilers believe there’s still something to unlock.
“We asked all of the hard questions that media would probably ask him, too.”
“He faced it great.”
“It was pretty clear pretty quick that he could be our guy.”
For Edmonton, the timing only sharpens the urgency. Draisaitl is 31, Connor McDavid is 30, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is 33, Zach Hyman is 34, and Mattias Ekholm is 36. The core has moved deep into its window, and every season from here feels heavier than the last.
Draisaitl, though, framed Babcock’s arrival as a chance for both sides to prove something.
“I think he’s really eager to prove to people that he’s still a brilliant hockey mind and he still knows how to coach good hockey teams,” said Draisaitl of Babcock. “It’s been a while for him.
For us, I think it may be a change in tone, a change in demand a little bit. We’ve had some coaches that are very player-friendly, I would say, and at the time that was needed and that was great for us, but teams go through different phases, right?”
That shift in tone is part of what the Oilers think they need now. Draisaitl said the group is looking for more players to carve out defined jobs and take ownership of them.
“We just need everybody to fill into some holes,” Draisaitl said. “Just need everybody to find some roles that they take really big pride in, and it’s like ‘This is what I do and I love doing that for this team.’ We all know the top of our board - like we know (Evan Bouchard is) going to run the power play and he’s going to do a good job, we know Connor, I know myself - but it’s a new coach, and there’s going to be lots of opportunity for other guys to leave a mark.
“I think that will create some competition and then hopefully make us a better team.”
That’s where this era stands now: with the spotlight on the stars, the clock moving forward, and the one thing that would define it all still missing.
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