The Edmonton Oilers have two of the best players in the world, if not the two best players in the world, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Each player has taken his game to new heights this season. While players want to improve every year, great people not only say it, but do it. It’s nothing new to see them both struggling in the Stanley Cup final.
Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl understand Canada’s pressure
Both players welcome the big stage and understand the pressure that comes with it, but they use that energy to take their game to new heights. As NHLrumors.com recorded last year after the 2024 Stanley Cup, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl wouldn’t feel the pressure to play in the Canadian market. They thrived on it.
“Yes, of course. Of course, the pressure is higher. Just in the media, fans, you know the expectations.” Dresel said after being asked about the pressure to play in the Canadian market before the Western Conference finals. “That’s what it looks like. It’s a hockey country. It starts with hockey and ends with hockey in this country. I don’t know if the team feels they’re under pressure on it…but we can handle it.”
It’s about Toronto Maple Leafs, and comments on how tough Toronto’s market is due to the pressure the players face and their inability to rise in major moments. It’s obvious that the two cities are different, but so are the players, because McDavid and Drexel are built differently. They understand the mentality needed for the Stanley Cup playoffs a year ago.
Are the Edmonton Oilers enough to surround Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl?
You can see the table the Oilers are bringing to their star players through the first two games.
“They were very confident, confident and very comfortable in this situation,” Mattias Ekholm said before the third game of the Stanley Cup final. “I saw the leadership of both of them. They led by example, on the ice, off the ice. I don’t think I had more of it as a player on the team. I think they were doing everything they could to be able to prepare and fit the team as much as possible.”
McDavid adopted a mindset that he wouldn’t ask his teammates to do what he wouldn’t do. Same as Draisaitl. That’s why the Oilers returned to the Stanley Cup final. These guys understand. Again, stress is a privilege, and McDavid and Draisaitl have been dealing with all professions.
The depth of the Edmonton Oilers brings them to the Stanley Cup playoffs
You saw it too. Last year, Connor McDavid won the Conn Smyth trophy with 42 points, the third-largest title in NHL history in the Stanley Cup playoffs. He leads the playoffs again, but this time, he takes what people say personally and proves that he can do it. Like, playing defense, he was tired of answering this question. Or questions about goalkeepers.
But even so, when a big goal or assist is needed, both of them find a way to accomplish it. Just look at everything McDavid did in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup final. This is the highlight of the playoffs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UC4D6QBTCOI
As Leon Draisaitl told the media before Game 3 of the Stanley Cup final, McDavid was asked how young players can do this, “You can’t learn it.”
Evander Kane is the playoff differential manufacturer for the Edmonton Oilers
When Connor Brown was asked about the guys dealing with the stress, he told everyone that they liked it and accepted it, but it wasn’t all about them because they were burdened with the entire team.
Yes, obviously, I think it’s funny, I think the media obviously asks you a lot and want to know about superstars and stuff, but I think they’ve done a really good job of sharing the burden with these guys. They are such excellent leaders and not only win or lose at night. This is a team-oriented game. This is not two people, it will drop to depth. It will come down to teamwork, and obviously, it’s a huge advantage when you have superstars that can make such big matches. But they deal with the pressure of the entire profession and they like it. I mean, I’m sure they won’t shy away from their tilt. So these are our great leaders.
You’ll see that Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl were cut from another mold because they didn’t shy away from the current stress situation by raising the game.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lexy9dqv0b0
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