Leon Draisaitl had a lot to live up to this season, coming off an incredible 2024-25 campaign. He led the Edmonton Oilers with 52 goals and 106 points, finished second in Hart Trophy voting, and set an NHL record with four overtime goals in a single playoff run. It’s difficult to be the most impactful player on Connor McDavid’s team, but Draisaitl accomplished exactly that. Did he have an encore in store this season?

Well, he didn’t earn a Hart Trophy nomination this time. He didn’t score 50 goals. He even missed the 100-point mark for the first time since 2021. Yet he remained one of the NHL’s premier offensive forces, leading all Oilers forwards in five-on-five points per hour with 2.48, and sniping home 35 goals, many of which were fired from incredible angles.

Draisaitl’s most impressive attribute this season wasn’t his shooting, though — it was his passing. Not only was he three assists shy of his first assist-per-game campaign, but he also ranked near the top of the league in nearly every passing category.

On December 16, Draisaitl assisted on a Zach Hyman goal to become the fourth-fastest active player to hit 1000 NHL points. The bench spilled out onto the ice to congratulate the German, whose milestone came against the recently traded former teammate Stuart Skinner.

Two months later, Draisaitl captained Team Germany at his first Olympic Games and had a fantastic tournament. He led his team in scoring with seven points in five games and finished second in the tournament in scoring chance contributions per game. Despite his play, the underdog Germans lost in the quarterfinals.

Draisaitl stayed hot after returning from the Olympics, producing 17 points in 10 games before a knee injury sidelined him for the last few weeks of the regular season. Despite a trip to Germany for treatment, which prompted concerns about his status heading into the playoffs, Draisaitl played in all six of the Oilers’ postseason contests. Not only that, but he led the team in scoring with 10 points.

Draisaitl was blunt with the media about the Oilers’ struggles all season. He didn’t pull punches with anyone. Not even the front office or the coaches.

“We’re not consistent enough, and this league’s too hard to just lollygag through games and try to get winning streaks going,” he said during a losing skid before the Olympic break. “You need everybody. It starts with the coaches, like, everybody.”

Draisaitl’s willingness to challenge the group was matched by a willingness to look inward.

“I wasn’t happy with my defensive play this year. I thought it slipped from last year and got away from me a bit. I can only speak for myself, but I think our team took a step back in small areas of defending. It is something we need to be better at next year.”