Last night was historic for Leon Draisaitl, as the conclusion of the season meant he captured his first-ever Maurice Rocket Richard Trophy. Two of the NHL's top players share the same rink in Edmonton: Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Night after night, <a href='https://www.hockeylatest.com/nhl-team/edmonton-oilers/connor-mcdavid-becomes-the-4th-player-in-nhl-history-to-accomplish-remarkable-feat' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>Oilers' fans are treated to two superstars performing</a>, both with their own distinct, deadly brand of hockey. When 'The Hockey News' interviewed Mark Messier recently, the subject was Draisaitl and how tremendous his growth has been. Early in his career, <a href='https://www.nhl.com/oilers/player/leon-draisaitl-8477934' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>Draisaitl</a> was more of a talented playmaker and distributor. Gradually, he evolved to have a lethal goal-scoring presence in his game. That evolution was carried to an even higher level this season when he took home the 2025 Maurice Richard Trophy after netting 52 goals, seven more than second-place finisher William Nylander of the Maple Leafs. <div align='center' class='pl20 pr20'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/NHL/status/1913083491450835272'><div style='border:1px solid #CCCCCC;border-radius:10px;padding:20px;width:300px;'>Loading from Twitter ...</div></a></blockquote></div> Draisaitl's development wasn't overnight. He didn't inherit the power-play goal success from day one. His breakout as a true goal-scorer was in 2018-19, his fourth full NHL season, when he hit the 50-goal mark for the first time. <h3>Mark Messier is in awe by the skill that Draisaitl possesses</h3> Messier spoke to the fundamental skills and qualities that render Draisaitl such a force to be reckoned with. It's pretty much impossible to shut them down one-on-one. He's got incredible size, Messier said. He's an underrated skater, in my opinion. And Leon not only has the reach, Messier continues, but now you see him holding people off with one arm. They can't contain him in the corner. He's too strong coming off the boards. And then, of course, when you double-team him, he's good enough to find the open player. And if you don't double-team him, then he shoots it and scores himself. It's a real problem for matchups, for not only players, but for teams trying to shut both of them down, Messier told The Hockey News. Connor's got his own skill set, it's just amazing that he's (Draisaitl) scoring at the rate he's scoring and probably one of the most elite passers in the game. Leon is a special talent for so many reasons. The dedication it required to develop his game is one key reason Edmonton's dynamic duo scares opponents so badly in the postseason. Franchises are faced with the virtually impossible task of slowing down two all-time players, both of whom can transform the game with a single possession.