It was hard-nosed blueliner Darnell Nurse who picked up the primary assist. His contribution was being ready to take a Draisaitl pass, and blast a solid attempt on net but have it stopped by Kings goaltender Darcy Kuemper. Instead, it was Draisaitl who did all the work to make this four-on-four goal happen.

Draisaitl is expected to be a core piece for the Oilers for the foreseeable future. He signed an eight-year, $112 million contract ($14 million average annual value) starting next season and is currently in the final season of an eight-year, $68 million contract ($8.5 million AAV) signed prior to the 2017-2018 season.

The Edmonton Oilers are second in the Pacific Division, and they have Leon Draisaitl to thank for that. While their 27-13-3 record through 43 games was largely expected, how they got there has been somewhat surprising.

Draisaitl's elite production has led the Oilers to a top-five position in the NHL standings and he is firmly in the mix to take home his second Hart Trophy. Per FanDuel Sportsbook, Draisaitl has the third-best odds to win the award at +320. Only Nathan MacKinnon at +280 and his Oilers teammate Connor McDavid at +300 have shorter odds.

EDMONTON — Leon Draisaitl thought he had a stinker of a game, even if he did come out smelling like a rose at the end. Draisaitl scored his league-leading 28th goal of the season as the Edmonton Oilers won their second game in a row, defeating the ...

Could Connor McDavid leave Edmonton at the end of his contract? @wyshynski explained to @JeffMarek why he doesn't believe it's a guarantee that the #LetsGoOilers superstar remains with the team when his contract expires👀 Presented by @FanDuelCanada pic.twitter.com/PPodhegfyw

This new analysis has fans frustrated, but it might be because it unfortunately makes sense. Full story below:

Only 23 NHL players have scored 60 goals in a single season. With 29 goals in 39 games, Edmonton's Leon Draisaitl is on pace to become No. 24.

With McDavid out with an injury in early November and the Oilers already struggling for traction, Draisaitl put up back-to-back three-point nights, factoring in on six of Edmonton’s nine goals in 5-1 and 4-2 wins over Nashville and Calgary.

The Edmonton Oilers are in town for a Western Conference matchup as the Colorado Avalanche continue their five-game homestand. The Oilers will play their second game of a back-to-back tonight after taking a 5-3 win over the Minnesota Wild.

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While everyone is talking about Mitch Marner and John Tavares with the Toronto Maple Leafs, the other member of the “Big Three” free agents this summer is Mikko Rantanen of the Colorado Avalanche.  Like the others listed above,