Ex-NHLer Chris Pronger bluntly claims Leon Draisaitl was being ‘overshadowed’ for years by Connor McDavid before 50th goal milestone

By Ankit Kumar

Modified Mar 30, 2025 18:43 GMT

NHL: Calgary Flames at Edmonton Oilers - Source: Imagn — Former NHL player shared his strong statement on Leon Draisaitl coming out of Connor McDavid's shadow (Source: Imagn)

Leon Draisaitl scored his 50th and 51st goals in a 3-2 overtime win against the Calgary Flames. His performance led NHL insider Chris Pronger to say Connor McDavid no longer overshadows Draisaitl.

Pronger wrote on X:

"Congrats to Leon Draisaitl on 50 to tie it late and 51 to win it in OT! What a season he is having. Hart trophy material. He is one of a few players that will garner 1st and 2nd place votes for MVP. Years past overshadowed by 97. Not this yr. #LetsGoOilers"

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Draisaitl has often played behind McDavid in the spotlight, but this season he is third in the league in points with 104. Moreover, Draisaitl is leading the league in goals with 51, nine more than second-placed Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander. This is his fourth season reaching 50 goals, something which McDavid has done only twice.

Draisaitl scored in overtime to win the game against the Flames, which was his first game back after missing four due to injury. Edmonton played without McDavid, defenseman Mattias Ekholm and goalie Stuart Skinner.

Draisaitl also had 53 assists and a +33 rating in 69 games. His importance to the Oilers' offense strengthens his Hart Trophy case.

Meanwhile, McDavid has scored 26 goals and 64 assists in the 2024-25 season. He has 90 points in 63 games and ranks sixth in assists. In his last five games, he recorded eight points. McDavid plays over 22 minutes per game and is out of the lineup due to a lower-body injury.

With McDavid sidelined, Draisaitl is leading the Oilers' offense. With less than 10 games remaining in the playoffs, Draisaitl's strong play could help Edmonton keep its playoff spot.

Leon Draisaitl's statement on scoring over 50 goals this season

After the Calgary Flames game, Leon Draisaitl shared his thoughts with the media.

“I grew up as, well, certainly not a goal scorer," Draisaitl said. Always been a passer, and I worked a lot at (the scoring) part of my game. For that to shine through still means a lot to me.”

Draisaitl's teammate Darnell Nurse hailed him as the MVP.

"In my opinion, he’s the MVP,” Nurse said. “Seeing what he’s done this year, if we don’t have a lot of the efforts and performances that he has, we’re probably not sitting in the position we’re in."

Draisaitl is stepping up in big games to prove his value.

About the author

Ankit is an NHL journalist at Sportskeeda with over 3 years of experience in the writing industry. He has expertise in sports, product, and travel content writing. His interest in ice hockey was piqued after watching Sidney Crosby play and he has been passionately following the game since then. Ankit admires Crosby’s personality and hockey IQ, and when he crossed the 1,500 points tally, Ankit was among the biggest fans to celebrate the occasion.

An Edmonton Oilers fan because of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, Ankit also admires the Pittsburgh Penguins due to Crosby and the Colorado Avalanche for Nathan MacKinnon. He is also a fan of Wayne Gretzky and Bobby Orr.

Holding a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature and Language, Ankit believes his education has helped him develop a knack for presenting information in a precise and compelling manner. He only sources information from credible avenues and trusted people from his network for his articles.

When he is not watching or writing about the NHL, Ankit loves listening to music and reading books.

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Edited by Krutik Jain