The entire crowd at Rogers Place was on their feet, cheering for Edmonton Oilers star Leon Draisaitl.
In last year’s Stanley Cup Final, Draisaitl didn’t score at all against the Florida Panthers. This year, he netted the first and last goals of Game 1 in the Stanley Cup Finals rematch at his team’s home rink. The forward capitalized on a power play opportunity created by him and Oilers’ captain Connor McDavid, swarming Florida’s goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky in the final minute of overtime for the game-winner.
Heading into the finals, most of the media attention surrounding the Oilers was placed on McDavid, the best player in the NHL, who doesn’t have a championship on his resume. While McDavid is no doubt the star of the team, Draisaitl is just as good a player. McDavid knows this and spoke about Draisaitl not getting the credit he deserves.
Connor McDavid Gives Leon Draisaitl Well-Deserved Credit
Sure, as the captain of a team in the 2025 Stanley Cup Final, McDavid should be receiving a lot of attention. According to ESPN, McDavid is the current leader for this year’s Conn Smythe Trophy, awarded to the Most Valuable Player in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
When the lights are brightest, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl have been nothing short of special.#LetsGoOilers | #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/L0PGui3gwl
— NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) June 4, 2025
“He continues to dazzle us,” Edmonton’s general manager Stan Bowman said of McDavid. “You know, every game, every round, makes a difference, incredibly motivated and driven to win. Like, I can’t think of, you run out of superlatives to talk about him as a player and describe what he does on the ice.”
Should the 28-year-old center win this year’s Conn Smythe Trophy, it will be McDavid’s second consecutive playoff MVP award. He won it in 2024 despite the Oilers losing to the Panthers.
McDavid has racked up big honors with the Oilers, including multiple Art Ross Trophies, Hart Memorial Trophies, and the Conn Smythe Trophy. He also holds the franchise record for most time served as captain and trails only Wayne Gretzky in all-time points for Edmonton.
But following Game 1, McDavid shifted all of the media attention to Draisaitl and said his teammate doesn’t receive enough credit.
Leon’s got ice in his veins 🥶 pic.twitter.com/h107ZeuLqk
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) June 5, 2025
“He’s invaluable,” McDavid said. “There’s so many good things. You name it, he does it. He doesn’t get enough respect or credit for his defensive abilities. There aren’t many better. Maybe nobody better.”
Like McDavid, Draisaitl has also built a remarkable career with Edmonton. He became the first German-born National Hockey League player to win the Hart Memorial Trophy, earning the accolade in 2020. Draisaitl was also voted by his fellow players as the NHL’s most outstanding player, completing a rare MVP triple crown.
After Game One and all his other accomplishments, Draisaitl deserves his fair share of credit and attention, and he proved that in Game One
