Leon Draisaitl of the Edmonton Oilers is currently on a tear that very few NHLers have ever matched in the league's history. In fact, his 20 goals in 19 games so far this season is second to only Wayne Gretzky in franchise history, who hit the mark in 16 games. Draisaitl now has 40 points through the first 20 games of the season, but is attempting to downplay expectations that he can continue at his current pace.
"You expect me to score 82 goals this year?" he said with a laugh when asked if he could keep it up after Wednesday night's four-point game. "That's not gonna happen."
"Obviously, playing with 97 makes it a lot easier," Draisaitl added, referring to teammate Connor McDavid. "A lot more free ice out there with him. But, I don't expect that of myself. That's not anything that's realistic, I think."
If he did manage to continue on his current pace, Draisaitl would finish the season with 86 goals and 86 assists for 172 points. Not likely to happen. But, even a good drop in his offense will still have him at or near the top of the league for points once 2021-22 ends.
"I'm just going to continue doing my thing," said Draisaitl. "If they go in, great. If they don't, it's a hard league to score in."
Well, maybe for some players. Draisaitl seems to make it look pretty easy.
