Kris Knoblauch feels Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl overcoming 'rust' after pointless outing in loss to Kraken

2025 Stanley Cup Final - Game Two - Source: Getty
Kris Knoblauch feels Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl overcoming 'rust' after pointless outing in loss to Kraken - Source: Getty

Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl made their first preseason appearance in the Edmonton Oilers' 4-1 loss to the Seattle Kraken at Rogers Place on Wednesday.

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McDavid and Draisaitl were held pointless despite both stars clocking heavy ice time. Meanwhile, Andrew Mangiapane scored Edmonton's lone goal in his Oilers preseason debut, while Kraken forwards Logan Morrison and Ben Meyers each tallied a goal and an assist in the win.

After the game, head coach Kris Knoblauch addressed Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl's subdued performance, noting that they are still shaking off rust and working to reach peak performance.

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"Well, the fact that McDavid and Draisaitl didn't have any points. I don't think we have to worry about taking away their ice time or taking them off the power play," Knoblauch said post-game. "Those guys are getting off their rust, and they're just kind of getting revved up, getting that they're top of their game. But, yeah, no, I don't think it's an indicator of how they're going to play the rest of the year or anything like that."
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Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid remains in the final year of his eight-year, $100 million contract, making him eligible for unrestricted free agency next summer. Extension talks have been ongoing since July 1, but no deal is in place, with McDavid entering training camp last week without one.

Oilers fell to the Kraken in Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl's first preseason appearance

On Wednesday, the Edmonton Oilers suffered a 4-1 defeat to the Seattle Kraken at home in what was the first appearance for McDavid and Draisaitl in the preseason.

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Jagger Firkus opened the scoring for the Seattle Kraken with a power-play goal at 19:30 of the first period, giving them a 1-0 lead. Logan Morrison extended the Kraken’s lead to 2-0 at 15:02 of the second period.

Andrew Mangiapane scored the lone goal for the Edmonton Oilers, cutting the deficit to 2-1 at 9:03 of the third period. Ben Meyers restored Seattle’s two-goal lead, making it 3-1 at 12:13 of the third. Jani Nyman sealed the 4-1 victory for the Kraken with an empty-net goal at 19:23 of the third period.

The Edmonton Oilers will be up against the Winnipeg Jets in their next preseason matchup at Rogers Place on Friday. The puck drops at 9 p.m. ET.

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Edited by Abhishek Dilta
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