DeBrusk talks Oilers on NHL @TheRink podcast

Louie DeBrusk believes the Edmonton Oilers have taken the next step to be perennial contenders to reach the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and that they're inching closer to being legitimate contenders to win the Stanley Cup.

DeBrusk, a retired NHL forward who is now an analyst for Sportsnet on Oilers broadcasts, joined co-hosts Dan Rosen and Shawn P. Roarke on a new episode of the NHL @TheRink podcast. He compared the connection Edmonton forwards Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl have to the chemistry between the Oilers greats of the 1980s, including Wayne Gretzky, Jari Kurri, Mark Messier, Paul Coffey and Kevin Lowe.

Draisaitl and McDavid are the top two scorers in the NHL this season with 110 and 97 points, respectively. The Oilers (37-25-9) are second in the Pacific Division with 83 points in 71 games, three points behind the Vegas Golden Knights (39-24-8), who have played the same number of games.

"Everybody had their own strengths, their own weaknesses, but they all got together and pushed each other to be the strongest they can possibly be," DeBrusk said. "I'm seeing a little bit of that with Draisaitl and McDavid."

DeBrusk misses watching McDavid and Draisaitl do the unthinkable at times. He stands between the benches for most games, giving him an up-close view of the them.

"It's amazing," DeBrusk said. "You're right, I have the best seat in the house for a lot of it. I kind of crack up to myself a lot of times. A lot of times I'll hit the talk-back (button) to my producer and McDavid or Draisaitl will do something and I'll just be like, 'Are you kidding me? Are you serious? That just happened again?' They make it look so effortless, but I know it's not. I know they put a lot of work into it and that's probably the thing for me that stands out the most. It's an inner competition, but it's a competition to try to make each other better. I just think that's the perfect situation."

DeBrusk also talked about life during the pause in the season due to concerns about the coronavirus, including having his son, Boston Bruins forward Jake DeBrusk, home with him and the competition on family movie nights. He also discussed life as a father of an NHL player, and gave some insight into what he thinks it could be like if the NHL returns to play games without fans in the building.

Rosen and Roarke touched on the latest news and notes in the League, including the potential for the 2020 NHL Draft to take place in early June. They previewed NHL.com's Super 16 this week, which is the best right wings since 1967, and differed on their opinions for which of the seven Canada-based teams they think will be the next to win the Stanley Cup.

The podcast is free, and listeners can subscribe on all podcast platforms. It is also available on NHL.com/multimedia/podcasts and the NHL app.

Listen: New episode of NHL @The Rink