How banking on a self-reliant Draisaitl affects McDavid, Oilers' Cup chances

The Edmonton Oilers just made a large investment in forward Leon Draisaitl. They're now expecting his game to reach new heights, and he is going to have to do so without the game's most electrifying player on his line.

Though Draisaitl is a natural center, he spent the bulk of last season playing right wing alongside Connor McDavid. The two phenoms found instant chemistry. In fact, the club's top line of McDavid, Draisaitl, and Patrick Maroon accounted for 35.4 percent of the Oilers' goals last season.

The eight-year, $68-million contract the Oilers handed Draisaitl signals that his days of playing on McDavid's wing are over. Though McDavid's $12.5-million cap hit doesn't kick in until 2018-19, it simply doesn't make sense moving forward to pay two players a combined $21 million per season, only to have them play on the same line.

Any forward making north of $8 million per season needs to be able to carry his own line in today's salary-cap era, and the Oilers are banking on McDavid and Draisaitl to do just that.

Is Draisaitl capable of anchoring his own line?

A center needs to be able to make players around him better, and though it was from the wing, Draisaitl displayed he can do just that. Last season he had 16 primary assists at 5-on-5, which would have been the 11th-most helpers among centers, and just one fewer than Sidney Crosby. As a center, Draisaitl will have the puck on his stick more, and could conceivably build on that mark.

At just 21 years of age, Draisaitl stands a little over 6-foot-1 and weighs 216 pounds. Though, he plays much bigger. He's strong on the puck and uses a seemingly long reach to his advantage. He may not be a burner, but for a center of his stature, he is an above-average skater.

Draisaitl clearly has both the playmaking and physical abilities to play center full time, and won 49 percent of the draws he had last season. His biggest test, however, will come on the defensive side of the puck.

In order to find an answer for a surging Ryan Getzlaf in Edmonton's second-round playoff series against the Anaheim Ducks, head coach Todd McLellan inserted Draisaitl back to his natural position of center, and lined him up against Getzlaf as often as he could.

It was an awfully small sample size, but Getzlaf only recorded two points in the final three games of the series, compared to the eight points he racked up in the first four games of the series when not matched up against Draisaitl.

It's still unclear how he will handle the defensive responsibility that comes with being a center on a full-time basis, especially considering he might be Edmonton's center most capable of playing a shutdown role - but all signs indicate Draisaitl has what it takes.

Will this affect McDavid's offensive output?

Draisaitl's move to center leaves a gaping hole on McDavid's right wing. There are plenty of options to fill the void, but all come with question marks.

The newly acquired Ryan Strome is the most obvious candidate. He set a career high with 50 points back in 2014-15, but the 24-year-old has largely been considered a disappointment since then, even though he spent ample time alongside John Tavares with the Islanders. Nevertheless, the former fifth overall pick still has plenty of potential, and could fulfill it alongside McDavid.

Jesse Puljujarvi - the club's fourth overall pick from 2016 - could conceivably make the jump to McDavid's line, but that might be a lot to ask considering he spent most of 2016-17 in the AHL.

Otherwise, a veteran, such as Mark Letestu or Jussi Jokinen may be asked to fill the void. Obviously, both of these players have a limited ceiling.

McDavid is still undoubtedly the most electric player in the game, but barring one of the aforementioned players stepping up in a big way, he could be hard-pressed to reach the 100-point mark for a second consecutive season.

Lineup balance

If McDavid and Draisaitl are able to carry their own lines and be as productive apart from each other as they were together, Edmonton has a great chance at winning the Stanley Cup.

The Oilers' depth down the middle would arguably be the best in the NHL, especially considering Pittsburgh's centers after Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are simply unknown at this point.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, the forgotten man in the mix, will likely end up centering the Oilers' third line.

Third-line duty doesn't sound promising, but with McDavid drawing the attention of top checking lines, and Draisaitl matching up against top scoring lines, this could open the door for the former first overall pick to exploit weaker opponents. This could lead to a strong offensive campaign for the 24-year-old, just one year after his worst season in the show.

If the Oilers wind up having three centers firing on all cylinders, they will be the toughest team in the Western Conference to match up against - and that simply isn't possible with McDavid and Draisaitl teaming up on the first line.

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)

- With h/t to firstlinestats.com

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