This Oilers star forward has the potential to score 60 goals this season.
Yesterday, I discussed goal-scoring projections for Edmonton Oilers offseason addition Connor Brown. For today's edition of the goal-scoring projections series, let's focus on superstar forward Leon Draisaitl.
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Draisaitl, 27, had a remarkable 2022-23 season for the Oilers. In 80 games, he scored 52 goals and recorded a career-high 128 points. This was the third time in his career that he had at least 50 goals in a season and the fourth time he hit the 100-point mark.
Heading into 2023-24, it is fair to assume that Draisaitl will have another excellent campaign. THN Oilers site editor Caleb Kerney recently put out a massive prediction for Draisaitl. He sees Draisaitl hitting 62 goals and 132 points in 2023-24. With the way Draisaitl has been trending, this certainly seems possible.
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Bob Stauffer tweeted out point projections for each Oilers forward back in August. His prediction for Draisaitl was a bit more conservative than Kerney's, as he sees the superstar hitting 52 goals yet again this season.
theScore.com's Kayla Douglas recently predicted that Draisatl will be second in NHL scoring this season, behind fellow Oilers superstar Connor McDavid. Although Douglas did not specify a specific goal number, she predicted that he would easily hit the 50-goal and 100-point marks yet again this season.
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As for myself, I am going to predict that Draisaitl will hit an even 60 goals this season. He seems to get better with each season that passes, as does McDavid. Thus, expect Draisaitl to hit 60 goals for the first time in his career.
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