After beginning last season with the Edmonton Oilers just prior to his 19th birthday, it seems Leon Draisaitl might be in tough to do the same thing at his center position this year.
According to a report from the Edmonton Journal, Draisaitl, the third overall pick in the 2014 NHL Draft, may have to consider a move from center to the wing in order to stick with the Oilers next season, with the additions of Connor McDavid and Mark Letestu down the middle in the last eight days.
“I’d be totally fine with that,” said Draisaitl, as per the Oilers website. “I’ve played the wing before… I know how to play the wing. For me, it wouldn’t really matter. As long as I’m on the team, for me, everything works I guess.”
Draisaitl, who turns 20 on Oct. 27, played 37 games for the Oilers last season, before he was dispatched back to the WHL in January. During his time in Edmonton, he scored twice and had nine points while averaging 12:41 of ice time playing in the middle.
The Oilers eventually burned through the first year of his entry-level contract, although former GM Craig MacTavish believed keeping Draisaitl in Edmonton for so long before sending him to junior was the right move in his development.
