Reports of a possible Leon Draisaitl suspension after dirty cross-check vs. Philadelphia

In case you missed it last night, the Edmonton Oilers earned their first victory of the 2024-25 season, getting the 4-3 overtime win over the visiting Philadelphia Flyers. Oilers superstar Leon Draisaitl was the team’s saviour when he recorded his first goal of the campaign and finally got the two most important points for his team.

However, Draisaitl has also been trending for something else he pulled on the ice during the contest on Tuesday night. A play in which he does not look like the talented and intelligent player he usually can be.

In the final seconds of the second period, Draisaitl was assessed a two minute penalty for cross checking Flyers’ Garnet Hathaway. On the play, it is clear that the German forward launches forward, lifting his feet to get most of the back of Hathaway, and making sure his stick hit hard and right where it hurts.

There are calls for NHL Player Safety to suspend Draisaitl for the hit, but so far the NHL hasn’t made any indication that the hit is under review. Fans are upset with how dirty the move was and some even called for Draisaitl to get benched by head coach Kris Knoblauch for some time in the game.

However, it’s a good thing Draisaitl remain in the game despite his questionable move on Hathaway. He not only scored the game-winning goal in overtime, but also recorded an assist on Evan Bouchard’s tying tally at the end of the third period.