HC Kris Knoblauch makes his feelings known about $112,000,000 Edmonton Oilers forward's explosive uptick in performance

Edmonton Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch spoke to the media after his team’s 4-2 win over the Seattle Kraken, praising Leon Draisaitl’s strong performance this season.

Draisaitl has scored 5 goals in his last four games, including one in Saturday's 4-2 win over the Seattle Kraken, and has scored five braces this season.

"Well, I don't know where to start, with everything he does," Knoblauch said. "The other night, obviously he's a little bit critical of himself. Wasn't his best game. And tonight he really came out really strong, and that whole line was playing well."

Draisaitl has been playing at a high level all season. After Connor McDavid’s injury in late October, Draisaitl stepped up. He has scored 29 goals and earned 30 assists this season. He is second on the league leaderboard and first on the Oilers with 59 points. He is tied for 4th in plus/minus with a +22 rating.

Draisaitl has been a big part of Edmonton's wins, with 48 points in 24 victories. In losses, he has 11 points in 15 games. Knoblauch noted that Draisaitl has been on a strong run since McDavid’s injury.

"And whether it's the power play or face offs or scoring goals, he's been at another level and really started, you go back to probably that Columbus game, or shortly after that, when McDavid was hurt, and he stepped up with McDavid's absence, and he really hasn't looked back, and he's put together a nice string of games," Knoblauch said.

In the first week of September, Draisaitl signed an eight-year, $112 million contract extension with the Edmonton Oilers. His play has been key to Edmonton’s success as their core offensive player alongside captain Connor McDavid. Draisaitl has 375 goals and 532 assists in his career, with 907 points in 757 games.

Edmonton Oilers secured a win against Kraken via an early lead

The Edmonton Oilers won 4-2 against the Seattle Kraken, starting strong with a 3-0 lead. Vasily Podkolzin scored the first goal, finishing a pass from Leon Draisaitl just 57 seconds into the game. Jeff Skinner made it 2-0 with a shot from the slot at 5:18. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins added another goal, making it 3-0 in the second period.

Seattle responded with a goal from Chandler Stephenson at 15:56, cutting the lead to 3-1. Jaden Schwartz then made it 3-2 early in the third period. Draisaitl scored an empty-net goal at 18:02 to secure the 4-2 win. Calvin Pickard made 15 saves for the Oilers. This victory marked the Edmonton Oilers' third consecutive win.