Oilers Superstar Emerging as MVP Favorite

The Edmonton Oilers may have more than one MVP candidate on their roster.

Jan 18, 2025; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl (29) during a stop in play against the Vancouver Canucks in the second period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images / Bob Frid-Imagn Images

It won’t be easy for voters to decide on a Hart Trophy winner in the NHL this season, but one analyst believes the easy choice for MVP is on the Edmonton Oilers roster. It also may not be the first name that comes to mind when you think of the Oilers.

Analyst Craig Button said on TSN that he would cast his vote for the Oilers other superstar forward Leon Draisaitl. Connor McDavid usually leads the MVP talk in Edmonton, but Draisaitl is hitting a new level in the 2024-25 season.

“I have a vote in the MVP… and my first place vote on this day would go to Leon Draisaitl,” Button said. “Leon Draisaitl drives play in so many significant ways.”

Draisaitl has won the Hart Trophy before, but that was following the COVID-shortened 2019-20 season. This time around, he’s well on his way to being the league’s best player.

In 47 games, Draisaitl leads the NHL with 34 goals with 37 assists for 71 total points. He leads the Oilers in scoring and is just three points back of Nathan MacKinnon for the most in the NHL.

Draisaitl will have some runway to prove he deserves to be in the MVP conversation. McDavid will be out for three games due to a suspension and it’ll be up to Draisaitl to lead the Oilers in his absence.

In their first game without McDavid, the Oilers lost 3-2 to the Washington Capitals, but Drasaitl had a hand in both Oilers’ goals. He scored the first goal of the game, then assisted on Corey Perry’s third-period tally.

The Oilers have two more games before McDavid returns, with the first being against Pacific Division rival Vancouver Canucks. With some possible bad blood between the two teams, it’ll be up to Draisaitl to put on an MVP-worthy show.

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