[dash_pinched]

The most telling pressure points for me, when it comes to Leon Draisaitl’s protracted contract negotiations with the Edmonton Oilers, is this:

Why on earth would the player ever want to play elsewhere? And why would the team ever allow him to do so?

On what other team would Draisaitl be able to, A) play nightly with the pending “Best Player in the NHL?” Or B) Get second-line centre minutes with a first-line centre that commands as much attention from opposing lineups as Connor McDavid does?

We’re not saying Edmonton is the only team in the National Hockey League that gives us the feeling that a Stanley Cup championship is imminent. There are a few teams like that (Toronto, Dallas, Calgary) and a few other mainstays (Pittsburgh, Chicago, Washington, Anaheim) that could win it any year as well.

But find me a landing spot for Draisaitl that has a better chance than Edmonton of putting a ring on his finger. There isn’t one, and the big German is in on the ground floor of this project, and quite possibly could be wearing a letter in that photo, if the Oilers ever do gather around Big Stanley after a victory in June.

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/o...ish-part-ways/