Leon Draisaitl specifically requests one linemate next season that isn't McDavid
Photo credit: USA Today Sports
Oilers superstar Leon Draisaitl wants to continue playing with linemate Vasily Podkolzin through next season.
Draisaitl was the NHL's runner-up for most valuable player last season, and put up incredible totals with 52 goals and 104 points in 71 games. The German star surprisingly credited Vasily Podkolzin for much of his success.
Leon Draisaitl gushes over Vasily Podkolzin, wants to keep him as linemate
Speaking to media at the Oilers Captain's Skates, Leon Draisaitl was asked about what he sees for Podkolzin this season - and launched into major praise for his teammate.
Podzy does a lot of things that a lot of people that don't really understand hockey, they don't really see it. He does a lot of work for me, and it lets me have a lot of time with the puck and sets me up in great situations, where I lack that in my game.
I really, really love playing with him. He's a great player. He's really underrated with the puck, really underrated hockey sense. He's a player that doesn't need to score to be really valuable and effective.
- Leon Draisaitl
I really, really love playing with him. He's a great player. He's really underrated with the puck, really underrated hockey sense. He's a player that doesn't need to score to be really valuable and effective.
- Leon Draisaitl
Despite playing mostly top-6 minutes next to Leon Draisaitl last year, Podkolzin couldn't find much scoring with only 8 goals and 24 points in 82 games. However, he's still just 24 years old with real potential to break out for more scoring.
But more importantly, Podkolzin has proven to be a perfect fit as a complementary player.
His work in the corners, netfront, and overall positioning allowed Draisaitl to reach another level this season. Even if Podkolzin scores less than 10 goals again, supporting Draisaitl as well as he does brings incredible value to the team.
Hopefully Podkolzin can unlock more offence in his game next season, but the fact that Leon Draisaitl clearly wants to play with him again is a great endorsement.
| POLL | ||
SEPTEMBRE 5 | 455 ANSWERS Leon Draisaitl specifically requests one linemate next season that isn't McDavid Do you think Podkolzin could score more than 15 goals this season playing with Leon Draisaitl? | ||
| Yes | 420 | 92.3 % |
| No | 35 | 7.7 % |
| List of polls | ||
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