Leon Draisaitl RPA The Cup rookie hockey card has sky rocketed to gargantuan numbers in the last year. While the Florida Panthers and the Buffalo Sabres were scouting Aaron Ekblad and Sam Reinhart, Oilers GM Craig McTavish had his sights set on scouting Leon Draisaitl.
Leon Draisaitl scored 422 points in 422 games played for the Prince Albert Raiders and the Kelowna Rockets of the Western Hockey League. Craig McTavish was the force behind the Oilers drafting Draisaitl. This decision turned into a franchise altering one. The very next season after drafting Leon the Edmonton Oilers won the draft lottery and selected franchise player number two in Connor McDavid.
Leon Draisaitl and Connor became joined at the hip and haunted NHL teams and defenseman. The dynamic duo led the Oilers to the playoffs in 2017 and upset the San Jose Sharks in a 6 game series. The Oilers would fall to the Anaheim Ducks in a hard fought 7 game series that saw a lot of controversy.
In the 2018-19 NHL season Leon amassed 50 goals for the first time in his career and added 55 assists for a total of 105 points. Connor McDavid would go on to win the scoring title and a bunch of hardware including a Hart Trophy as league MVP.
The 2019-20 NHL season which is currently suspended due to the Corona Virus saw Leon amass 110 points in 71 games played which included 43 goals and 67 assists for a total of 110 points. The second leading scorer was Connor McDavid who has 97 points.
Leon had a bad December as far as stats go but this was mostly due to Dave Tippett over using Leon. Leon plays in all situations and is trusted by coach Dave Tippett in all situations. Leon was gassed at the end of games and it was becoming an issue. The Oilers called up young gun Kailer Yamamota from the Bakersfield Condors and immediately slotted him in the lineup on a line with Leon and Ryan Nugent Hopkins. The trio became a devastating force to contain by the opposition.
Splitting up the dynamic duo was the cure the Oilers needed to make a push for the playoffs and to this day was the smartest decision Tippett has made in his early career as Oilers head coach. Leon has had an MVP season and in my opinion was the best player in the NHL in 2019-20. Here are his 2019-20 stats
In conclusion I see no reason why hockey card collectors will not pursue Upper Deck Leon Draisaitl RPA cards in the future. The future is bright in Edmonton and his cards will continue to increase in value with his success as one of the top 5 players in the league.
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