Draisaitl on being in McDavid's shadow: 'I know I'm a great player'

Leon Draisaitl has been repeatedly asked about Connor McDavid ever since the pair first hit the ice together as teammates in 2015.

Fast-forward some nine years later, not much has changed.

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And that continues to suit the big German just fine.

Draisaitl, McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers open the Stanley Cup final on Saturday against the Florida Panthers — the culmination of nearly a decade together in the Alberta capital.

The dynamic duo is a big reason for the team's ascension. But McDavid has almost always received more attention.

"That's OK," the 28-year-old Draisaitl said Friday of being consistently queried about his superstar teammate's exploits. "I know I'm a great player. I'm very well aware. I know what I can bring to the table. But I'm very rational as to understanding what I am as a player, and what I'm not.

"We're obviously very different players, but in a way complement each other really well."

The Oilers' Batman and Robin — if Robin was a six-foot-two, 209-pound bulldozer with elite vision and soft hands — have paced the franchise to its first appearance in the final since 2006 following some frustrating recent springs.

Edmonton made the Western Conference final in 2022 before losing to the Colorado Avalanche. The Oilers then fell to the Vegas Golden Knights in last year's second round. Both teams went onto win the Cup.

"Every season you don't win … you're going home trying to dig in more, wanting more," Draisaitl said. "Last year was very disappointing, and I think we took big, big steps when it comes to defending, taking care of the moment."

The lightning-quick McDavid, 27, has overshadowed his teammate with five scoring titles and three MVP nods, but Draisaitl has registered some impressive numbers of his own.

He won the Art Ross Trophy and Hart Trophy in the pandemic-shortened 2019-20 campaign, and put up a career-high 128 points last season.

"Such a great player," McDavid said of Draisaitl. "It's so fun to be on the ice with him. But away from the rink, I think our relationship has just continued to get closer and closer. He's a great dude. He's hilarious.

"Somebody that I spend a lot of time with and I feel really lucky to have been a teammate (of) for so long."

Draisaitl said that bond has grown through the years.

"Wanting to win has evolved into more importance for us," he said. "Knowing how much work (McDavid) puts in — that we all put in — there was obviously a lot of disappointment over the last couple years.

"But we're here, and we've given ourselves a chance to win."

Back it where it started

McDavid will play his first game in the final in the same rink where he was selected No. 1 by the Oilers at the 2015 draft.

"Funny how it's worked out," he said of being back at Amerant Arena, which was known as BB&T Center when he climbed on the stage at age 18. "It's full-circle, almost nine years to the day."

"It goes by so fast. It feels like it was yesterday."

Moral support

Draisaitl said he's received a number of messages ahead of the final, including from countryman and NBA great Dirk Nowitzki, who had a long and decorated career with the Dallas Mavericks.

The Oilers topped the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference final, but that didn't stop the Hall of Famer from reaching out.

"Really nice," Draisaitl. "I think he was cheering for the Stars, but he's still rooting for me a little bit, too."

Jagr's impact

NHL legend Jaromir Jagr's streak of former teammates — including international from play with Czechia — suiting up in the final now stands at 45 years.

The 2024 list includes Florida's Aleksander Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk, Sergei Bobrovsky, Dmitry Kulikov, Aaron Ekblad, Sam Bennett and Ryan Lomberg, while Edmonton's Adam Henrique and Brett Kulak also played alongside No. 68 earlier in their careers.

Air miles

The Oilers and Panthers are going to be spending lots of time in the sky this series.

Edmonton and Sunrise represent the furthest distance between Cup cities in NHL history at more than 4,000 kilometres.

"We're one of the most-travelled teams in the league," McDavid said. "It's only fitting to play in the furthest Stanley Cup final of all time. We spend a lot of time on that plane, but we have a good time."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 7, 2024