Edmonton Oilers superstar Leon Draisaitl has elevated his game to another level since Connor McDavud sustained his injury, proving to the entire NHL that Draisaitl is an elite player on his own that doesn't need McDavid to produce.
Draisaitl was having a good year to begin with, but once Connor McDavid went down with injury against the Columbus Blue Jackets, Leon kicked his game into another gear.
Since McDavid was injured, Draisaitl has scored 20 points in 12 games, and he had six points in the three games McDavid missed. Draisaitl has been so good, he's being floated as an early MVP candidate.
Not only that, but Leon Draisaitl was benched by Coach Knoblauch early on in the season for a few senseless penalties.
Draisaitl responded in the same game he was benched by scoring the overtime winning goal, but since then, he also has just one minor penalty.
Through the early part of the season where the Oilers have been anything but a consistent team, the consistency of Leon Draisaitl has been absolutely crucial.
It's clear that after signing his massive contract extension, Leon Draisaitl wanted to prove to everyone that he was worth every penny of his $14M salary.
Recently in the news, the Hockey Night in Canada panel and former Oiler Luke Gazdic criticized Leon Draisaitl's body language after taking a big hit from Artemi Panarin. To Oilers fans, that just looks like Leon rightly being a little pissed after taking a big hit.
Oilers fans who watch every game see Draisaitl is an emotional leader for this team, and he can also lead by example with his domination and pure will to win at times.
Draisaitl doesn't need McDavid to be superstar level player in the NHL, and he's proved that in McDavid's absence and his attitude towards it - to be the best player he can be for the Edmonton Oilers.
