Guess who? Edmonton Oilers centre finding his MVP form once again

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He’s tied for the lead in the National Hockey League for point scoring.

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He’s fourth for official goals plus-minus at +9 in eight games.

He’s a two-way force at even strength like no other on his team right now. He’s bossing the game both in the d-zone and the face-off circle, where he’s got a 56 per cent winning percentage.

Yes, Leon Draisaitl is back, playing at the same high level at centre as he did in the second half of the 2019-20 season, when his spectacular two-way play leading the DYNamite Line, with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Kailer Yamamoto on his wings, propelled him to win the NHL’s Hart Memorial Trophy.

One other signal of Drai’s re-emergence as an early favourite for the Hart Trophy this season is his plus-minus on Grade A shots at even strength.

When he won the Hart in 2019, he was +1.6 Grade A shots per game at even strength (15 min. es playing time). He’s at +1.6 again this year.

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He had slipped to +1.0 last season, a very good number for a centre, but not MVP level. He also slipped to eighth overall in Hart voting last year, a season where the line of himself, Yamamoto and Dominik Kahun never really took off as a two-way juggernaut, at least by 2019-20 DYNamite line standards.

Draisaitl was OK on defence last year and his MVP season, but his offensive performance at even strength slipped noticeably last yerr, going from major contributions to 2.8 Grade A shots in his MVP season to 2.2 per game last year.

This year he’s bumped up his offence a bit from last year to 2.3 major contributions to Grade A shots per game, but he’s really clamped down in the d-zone. That’s the big difference. He has cut his major mistakes on Grade A shots against from 1.1 per game last season to just 0.7 per game this year, a great number for a centre who faces tough competition.

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It seems that having him centre his own line — as opposed to playing musical chairs at centre in the d-zone on a line with McDavid — could be bringing a focus and clarity to Draisaitl’s mission and lifting his defensive efficiency.

There’s no doubt who is the main man on defence now working the defensive slot and corners, and helping the d-men advance the puck. It’s him. It’s Big Drai. And he’s kicking butt out there like a real NHL MVP.

As for McDavid, he had an unreal Grade A shots plus-minus of +1.9 last year in his own runaway MVP season. This year, he’s not yet been quite as effective on the attack at even strength — at least by his own mind-numbingly good standards — but his his only real struggles have come on defence. He’s had a run of slip ups in his own zone, but as he demonstrated last season he’s more than capable of breaking out of this defensive slump and bringing his own unmatched level of attacking excellence and solid defensive play as well.

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In other words, if you’re wondering one way that the Oilers can get better at even strength this year, just wait until McDavid truly cranks up his “A” defensive game each night to match what he’s already bringing on the attack.

If he and Draisaitl can both bring their top two-way game together at the same time, the Oilers even strength play will kick into a higher gear, as will the debate about who should win the MVP award in 2021-22.

Right now it’s a dead heat but my own nod early in this season 2021-22 season would go to Draisaitl.

At the Cult

McCURDY: Drai and Kosk lead way in Oilers win over Krakies

STAPLES: McDavid’s, Oilers’ hot start reminiscent of Gretzky era

LEAVINS: Yamo’s slump and what to do about it — 9 Things

McCURDY: Player grades from Oilers’ 2-1 win at Vancouver