Oilers' Kris Knoublauch makes his feelings known on Leon Draisaitl facing Mikko Rantanen ahead of conference final

Edmonton Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch opened up about the showdown between Leon Draisaitl and Mikko Rantanen ahead of his team’s Western Conference Final series against the Dallas Stars.

In a media availability on Monday morning, Knoblauch addressed the media, discussing what he thought about the matchup set to take place between two of this year’s Conn Smythe favorites:

“Yeah, if it is, I don't know, you know, my opinion, Leon Draisaitl is the best player in the league this year. And say, you want Leon to be just even against the other team's best player? I don't think that would be. I don't think you go into it saying, Yeah, that's what I want.”

Knoblauch’s comments underscore just how good Leon Draisaitl has been this year. Even after missing a chunk of the season down the stretch, he still won the Rocket Richard by a wide margin.

Then in the postseason, Draisaitl has been huge, scoring with the game on the line.

That is why Knoblauch’s comments highlight how important it is for the Oilers to have Draisaitl step up ahead of Mikko Rantanen and the Stars’ best players.

Knoblauch expanded:

“But you know, it all depends on, you know, what the lines are going to be. You know, if we have less scoring with Leon, and they've got their two other best scores with Rantanen, then you'd probably say yes, but yeah, I just think anytime you've got a player Leon's caliber, the goal is never I want it to be even."

Check out Knoblauch’s comments from the 5:30 mark onward:

The Oilers and Stars are set to get their Round 3 series in the 2025 Stanley Cup Final series going on Wednesday night. Expectations will be high for both teams as they look to earn their ticket for the Cup Final.

Leon Draisaitl and Oilers looking forward to playing against Mikko Rantanen and Stars

The Oilers will be looking to contain Mikko Rantanen in Round 3 - Source: Imagn

During Leon Draisaitl’s media availability on Monday morning, he addressed the longer-than-expected layoff he and his teammates have had following their second-round win against the Vegas Golden Knights.

Draisaitl stated:

“You know, a break at this time of year is never a bad thing. But obviously, you don’t want it to be too long. This was right on the edge. I think we’re all just looking forward to playing.”

Indeed, the Oilers wrapped up their series against the Vegas Golden Knights last Wednesday with a 1-0 overtime win in Game 5. That victory has given the Oilers a week off in between games.

While the layoff has allowed players like Mattias Ekholm to recover from injury, too long of a layoff can also derail momentum.

Leon Draisaitl and the Oilers hope that the layoff won’t be an issue as they face Mikko Rantanen and the Dallas Stars who wrapped up their series last Saturday night.

In the meantime, expectations will be running high as this year’s Western Conference Final promises to be one of the best series in recent memory.