VAUGHAN, Ontario --Leon Draisaitl said the bitter taste in his mouth lingers 79 days after the Edmonton Oilers were eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season.
It's something he'll have to live with as he and his teammates look to the future instead of the past, the forward admitted.
"It's still there," Draisaitl said prior to taking part in the 4th annual Zach Hyman Celebrity Classic charity tournament at Eagles Nest Golf Club this week. "It never truly leaves until you've really done it, right?
"But you've got to look forward. You've got to move forward. I had my time with it and sat with it. And now it's time to prepare for next season and do better when we get to that point again."
The Oilers were eliminated in six games by the Vegas Golden Knights in the best-of-7 Western Conference Second Round. It was the second straight season they were eliminated by the eventual Stanley Cup champion; the Oilers were swept by the Colorado Avalanche in the conference final in 2022.
Draisaitl and his teammates expected to learn from the painful series defeat and tried to take another step forward last season. Hopes were raised even more when the Oilers acquired defenseman Mattias Ekholm from the Nashville Predators on Feb. 28.
Instead, more pain was in store.
Drasaitl took the loss hard.
The 27-year-old was minus-4 and held pointless for the third time in four games in Edmonton's season-ending 5-2 loss to Vegas on May 14. Afterward, he accepted accountability for why he and his team came up short again.
"I have to take a lot of ownership myself," an emotional Draisaitl said after the game. "I wasn't good tonight.
"It's always tough. Guys play me hard, I know that, but I have to find a way to be better."
He's working on that this offseason.
Draisaitl recently arrived in southern Ontario to work out with Hyman and fellow teammate Connor McDavid, among others. The goal: to do whatever it takes to get over that remaining hump that stands between the Oilers and their first Cup in the McDavid-Draisaitl era.
Even if it means being motivated by the crushing disappointment of being eliminated by Vegas, a Pacific Division rival of Edmonton's. Then watching the Golden Knights defeat the Florida Panthers in five games to win their first Stanley Cup championship.
"They're a good team," he said. "They're deep. Their goalie [Adin Hill] played extremely well in the playoffs which is big. But I don't think (the loss) is anything we can't handle as a group.
"There's learning that we need to do in the years coming up. We have to learn from a series like that against Vegas. They're a really good team. We're a really good team. Florida is a really good team. Every team has a chance to win if they make the playoffs. You saw it.
"Just learn from it, move on, and make sure it doesn't happen again."
To try and ensure history doesn't repeat itself, the Oilers signed forward Connor Brown to a one-year contract July 1 to augment Edmonton's top six. The 29-year-old, who has 216 points (90 goals, 126 assists) in 444 NHL games with the Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs, signed with Edmonton after a season-ending ACL tear Oct. 17 in his lone season with the Washington Capitals.
Draisaitl finished second in the NHL with 126 points (52 goals, 76 assists), 25 behind McDavid (64 goals, 89 assists). The 27-year-old said he understands a team can't be carried by two players to a championship and hopes Brown can be a key ingredient in the Oilers bid to finally reach the top of the hockey world.
"He's going to bring a lot for us," Draisaitl said. "Obviously he had a tough year last year, so you've got to give him a little bit of time to find his way with the group. But he's done nothing but impress everyone over his career.
"Very excited to have him, to see what he's all about and what he can bring."
Draisaitl and McDavid were cart mates at Hyman's event, which supports children's charities including SickKids Foundation and UJA Federation.
