"Disrespectful to Gretzky", "No cups no gold medals": NHL fans debate Leon Draisaitl's bold statement on Connor McDavid's GOAT status

Leon Draisaitl's comments declaring teammate Connor McDavid the greatest NHL player ever has sparked heated debate among hockey fans.

Draisaitl's bold statement came in a radio interview as he stated:

"(Connor McDavid) is the greatest player to ever play in my books," he said. "He single-handedly turned our franchise around, pretty much. I just love sharing the ice with him, and he's a really, really special person."

On social media, fans quickly reacted. Many pointed out that McDavid trails far behind Wayne Gretzky's NHL records and is yet to lead the Oilers to a Stanley Cup. One fan wrote:

"Just disrespectful to Gretzky lmfao, ofc the goat of recent years, but it’s not even close in terms of all time".

Another wrote:

"No cups no gold medals?"

Here are some more fan reactions:

"Everyone over the age of 50 who've actually watched over 4 decades of hockey and remembers Gordie Howe as well," one fan wrote.

"Each generation of hockey has greats. You can't compare different generations together. Connor is this generations goat," another fan wrote.

"Incoming casuals complaining about how he hasn’t won yet, please explain to me how he isn’t the most talented player to ever lace the skates? Some people in these comments exposing how bad their hockey knowledge is." a user commented.

"He’s certainly the most talented, I would say. Greatest? To have the Greatest title you need to accomplish more than he has. Not saying he won’t but he just hasn’t yet, that’s all." another user wrote.

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Leon Draisaitl discusses Connor McDavid's upcoming 1,000th point milestone

After Connor McDavid's four-point performance against the New York Islanders brought his career total to 999 points, teammate Leon Draisaitl is confident that McDavid will reach the 1,000 point mark at home against Nashville.

Draisaitl said:

“I hope I'm not gonna jinx it, but I have a feeling it's not going to get to Toronto, so. Knock on wood, hopefully I'm right. I'm sure he would love to do it in front of our fans at home. Like I said this morning, we're not talking greatness, we're talking legendary.” (as per yardbarker.com)

The Oilers play the Predators at home next before hitting the road to face the Maple Leafs. Draisaitl wants to ensure that McDavid achieves the milestone in Edmonton rather than Toronto.

The Oilers and their fans are eager to celebrate Connor McDavid's historic moment on home ice against Nashville.