It’s beginning to look like Leon Draisaitl could pull the rug out from under Auston Matthews, and become the first player to score 70 goals in decades.

Draisaitl has been the Oilers best player so far this season, earning early mentions for the Hart Trophy, but he could also be gunning for the Rocket as well this year.

With 20 goals through the first 28 games of the season, Draisaitl is leading the NHL in scoring and is on pace for 59 goals. If his pace ticks up just a bit, which is very possible, he could be the first 70 goal scorer since Alexander Mogilny in 1992-93.

 

Most impressive in Draisaitl’s season so far is his even-strength dominance, where he’s on pace to score 47 goals alone. If he can increase his powerplay scoring, which is already below his average, 70 goals is very possible.

Leon Draisaitl could become NHL’s first 70 goal scorer in the 2000s, beating out Auston Matthews

Not long ago, a 30-40 goal scorer was seen as a premium offensive player in the NHL. The influx of incredible skill players and trends toward skill in recent years have seen a boom in scoring with several players passing the 60 goal mark, but still not 70 or more.

Auston Matthews got painfully close to the milestone with 69 goals last season, but this season his scoring rate is much lower.

If Draisaitl can step on the gas a little bit, especially on the powerplay, he could become the first to score 70 since Mogilny, which would be an incredible feat for the modern NHL.

Superstar players are extremely competitive and want to be the best among their peers, so it’s very possible Draisaitl does want to pursue the total of 70 to be the first of this generation of players to reach the marker. Still of course, nothing would compare to the primary goal of a Stanley Cup.

For years, NHL fans have argued if Draisaitl or Matthews is better. If Draisaitl just ekes out this milestone over the Leafs star, it’ll be a big point in case for Draisaitl. It’s obvious already who’s better, too.

We’ll see how the rest of the year plays out for Draisaitl, but it’d be a smart bet to see his scoring increase on the powerplay. As long as he keeps up his dominance on event strength, he’ll put together a historic season.