Nobody could have anticipated such an early exit for the Edmonton Oilers after the team reached the Stanley Cup Final two seasons on the bounce. However, true to Connor McDavid’s insight about the Oilers being “average” all year, the franchise has seen better days.
Amid such circumstances, McDavid’s future with the team is bound to trigger debate. But insider Pierre LeBrun believes that it is not just the captain that Edmonton should be worried about. McDavid’s wingman, Leon Draisaitl, may also want to part ways at some point, LeBrun speculated, sparking criticism on social media.
Social Media Comes Down Hard on Insider for Leon Draisaitl Comment
In the Oilers’ defense, the team was bogged down by injuries to key players throughout the first round, including McDavid, Zach Hyman, and Jason Dickinson. Dickinson was not expected to return that early at all, and it is no wonder that after his terrific two-goal performance in Game 1, the center had to miss the next few games.
The odds were stacked against the Oilers this time, but at this point in the season, every other player is also playing through some injury. In the aftermath of the team’s early elimination, both McDavid and Leon Draisaitl firmly acknowledged that the Oilers’ “organization as a whole has taken a step back.”
Under such circumstances, LeBrun opined that while the captain’s future with the Oilers remains widely discussed, not nearly enough people are talking about how Draisaitl could very well turn his back on the Oilers. LeBrun’s take did not sit well with many in the community.
“I’m pretty sure this statement can be made about every athlete in every sport ever though?” Dustin Nielson of the Edmonton Sports Talk wrote, questioning the insider.
“Now let’s start with Draisaitl too ….every off season. Perfect Pierre,” Bleed Oil Blue shared on X, bluntly criticizing LeBrun.
Puckin Around podcast’s Karman Gill pointed out that the Oilers have reached the Stanley Cup Final twice, whereas the Toronto Maple Leafs, a team LeBrun has extensively covered, have failed to do so. “What a clown. McDavid went to two back-to-back finals… while Matthews and Toronto didn’t go anywhere. Why isn’t he talking about them?”
Kevin McCurdy criticized LeBrun for bringing up the far-fetched possibility of Draisaitl leaving the Oilers in the wake of the team’s playoff exit. “This is outright fear-mongering at this point, good grief. Fans and players are already disappointed by the outcome of this season, let’s worry about 26-27 before we start obsessing over the long-shot “its possibles” for at least 2 years out from now.”
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For now, attention will turn to whether Stan Bowman can turn things around in terms of roster construction. The Oilers GM said that he isn’t expecting wholesale changes to the team’s makeup, but that’s not an answer that will go down well among fans in Edmonton.
