From a Johnathan Wills article around the handling of Draisaitl ...
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Draisaitl was not overwhelming in the preseason. In six games against NHL (and fringe NHL) opposition he managed two assists and went minus-two; if he’d been a second round pick he almost certainly would have been shipped out before Game 1 of the regular season.
Nor was Draisaitl especially brilliant during the nine-game trial permitted by the CBA. He managed three points and a minus-four rating over that stretch, along with 16 shots; he was just slightly in the black in terms of on-ice shot metrics (Corsi/Fenwick) but was playing exceptionally weak competition and starting more than four shifts in the offensive zone for every one he started in the defensive zone. In other words, he was treading water possession-wise in sheltered minutes but not producing offence. Despite this, Edmonton opted to hang on to him.
Nothing much has changed since. Prior to his demotion, Draisaitl still drew weak opposition and lots of time in the offensive zone. He stayed just barely on the positive side of the possession metrics, while his scoring touch actually decreased over the course of the year.
Draisaitl was mediocre in the preseason, mediocre during his nine-game consequence-free trial, and mediocre afterward. At no point did he demonstrate he was ready for NHL action. The Oilers kept him, and kept on keeping him, anyway.
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This is straight out of the Oilers’ development playbook. Edmonton has long used “baptism by fire” as its approach to dealing with young players, in particular young forwards
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Patience isn't a bad thing.