Yardbarker
x
Georges Laraque: Leon Draisaitl would like to play in… Boston.
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl form the best duo in the National League.

The Oilers have the luxury of counting on two of the five best players in the world…

But for the moment, the results aren’t there yet. And they need to do it fast, or the Oilers could lose one of their two star players.

I say this because this afternoon, on BPM Sports, Georges Laraque released a major piece of information.

The former Oilers player, who is well known in Edmonton, said that if the Oilers were to be eliminated quickly this year in the playoffs, Leon Draisaitl could leave… Because he’d like to play in Boston.

Georges Laraque said he didn’t believe it, but Draisaitl with the Bruins… Phew :

The guy wants to be first center on a team […] The fate of the team this year will determine what happens with him. – Georges Laraque

Draisaitl will play the final season ($8.5 million) of his current contract next year:

It’s a bit like the Pierre-Luc Dubois and Matthew Tkachuk situations.

Draisaitl is a year away from complete autonomy… And he wants to dictate his future.

It’s a little different in a way, because Tkachuk and Dubois were out of contract at the time of their respective transactions, but they still signed a contract extension with the team they wanted to play for.

If Draisaitl does leave Edmonton, the Habs will have to hope that the Oilers trade him somewhere other than Boston before next summer… Because nobody wants to see the German land in the Habs’ division, we agree.

What’s more, the Bruins could have plenty of room to bring him to Boston, because there aren’t many big contracts on the Bruins’ books other than David Pastrnak and Charlie McAvoy.

And with the cap going up in the next few years… :

(Credit: CapFriendly)

Just imagining a Draisaitl – Pastrnak duo on the Bruins is enough to give Montreal nightmares.

Leon Draisaitl has what it takes to be the top center on any National League roster, and he wants to live up to his talent.

It’s a bit like Evgeni Malkin, who stayed behind Sidney Crosby his entire career… But the difference is that Malkin won three Stanley Cups behind Crosby.

It’s going to be interesting to watch. Leon Draisaitl is going to break the bank (he’s earning an annual salary of $8.5 million per season until next summer), and obviously, it could be somewhere other than Edmonton.

And if Draisaitl leaves… will the Oilers have to worry about Connor McDavid’s future?

In gusto

– Will he be able to?

– A second start for Artus Silovs.

– Happy reading.

– Oh?

This article first appeared on Dose.ca and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads:

Customize Your Newsletter

+

Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.