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With McDavid and RNH, where does Draisaitl fit for Oilers?

Arizona Coyotes v Edmonton Oilers

Arizona Coyotes v Edmonton Oilers

NHLI via Getty Images

You don’t draft a kid third overall to play him on the third line.

That right there is the biggest reason the Edmonton Oilers are giving Leon Draisaitl a look on the wing. With first overall picks Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Connor McDavid locked in at center, it’s on the wing where Draisaitl may have the best shot to take on a future top-six role.

“At the end of the day it’s not up to me,” Draisaitl told Sportsnet. “It’s up to the management and the coaches to put me where they want me. I can play both. I have no problem playing wing or center. But it’s not up to me.”

Of course, another option is for the Oilers to trade Draisaitl. If GM Peter Chiarelli wanted to improve his blue line, the big 19-year-old German could certainly help in that regard.

But that’s just speculation. There’s no indication that that’s what the Oilers are thinking at this point. It may turn out that Draisaitl is best suited for the wing anyway.

“I played the wing before and I never had problems with it,” Draisaitl told Oilers Nation. “I think I’m a decent player along the boards, I can handle myself. That’s very important as a winger.”

Related: Draisaitl’s time in Edmonton wasn’t ‘wasted,’ says MacT