The NHL's leading scorer remains realistic despite his achievements
Even though his teammate, Connor McDavid, is considered the best player in the National Hockey League, Oilers' No. 29 Leon Draisaitl sits atop the league's scoring charts with 40 points in 19 games.
With a four-point game on Wednesday, the 26-year-old German became the first Oilers player since Wayne Gretzky to reach the 40-point plateau before the 20th game of the season. His 20-goal total in 19 games also has his most loyal fans dreaming of seeing him achieve the feat of scoring 50 goals in 50 games.
However, Draisaitl is under no illusion. Very few players have achieved that feat in history, which is why he wants his fans to keep their expectations of him moderate.
"You think I'm going to score 82 goals this year? It's not going to happen," said Draisaitl with a laugh. Obviously, playing with number 97 [Connor McDavid] makes it easier; there's a lot of open space when he's around. But I don't expect to accomplish that. It's not realistic in my opinion."
"I think it's a little crazy to think I'll score 50 goals in 50 games," he admitted. Right now, the pucks are coming in for me, but this is a tough league to score in. So don't expect me to reach that statistic," he also added.
If he can continue to produce at his current rate, Draisaitl will collect 86 goals and 172 points on the season. That's unlikely to happen, of course, as he believes he'll hit a wall as the season progresses.
"Obviously, I'm going to keep shooting. If it goes in, so much the better," concluded the fourth overall pick in the 2014 draft.
