Keep your friends close and your enemies closer, right?

Say hello to Leon Draisaitl and the retiring Anze Kopitar.

Draisaitl, who has had his share of battles with his mentor Kopitar the last four Edmonton Oilers-Los Angeles Kings rite of spring, talked to the Hall of Famer in waiting after the L.A. captain announced this is his final NHL go-round after two Stanley Cups, two Selkes and three Lady Byng awards.

“Kopy was my idol growing up, one of two players I looked up to,” said the Oilers centre, who has long said Wings’ Pavel Datsyuk was a role model along with the Slovenian-born Kopitar, who has 1,278 points in 1,454 games.

Draisaitl, 29, and Kopitar, 38, were whiz kids growing up in Germany and Slovenia. As a 15-year-old Draisaitl had 192 points in 29 games. Kopitar put up 76 points in 14 games as a 15-year playing against 18-year-olds.

Kopitar became one of the best two-way centres in NHL history, and Draisaitl wants to be there, too, wants to win a Selke after being sixth in voting last season, along with his Hart, Maurice Richard (most goals) and a scoring title.

“I’ve learned so much from playing against Kopy, watching him and I had the privilege of playing with him at the World Cup of Hockey in 2016. He kind of took me under his wing there and we’ve had a close friendship ever since,” he said.

“I’ve maybe got a couple more battles against him and I won’t let him off the hook yet but he’s had a fantastic career. His defensive game is as good as you’ll ever see, and there’s the consistency part. He’s done it for a long time, every day, every game. He’s truly one of the very best. He’s won everything there is to win but I’m pretty sure he’s excited for this one final year,” said Draisaitl.

KNOBLAUCH’S CONTRACT STATUS

No. Hardly a blip on the screen in Oilers Nation. All they care about is Connor McDavid’s extension. But Kris Knoblauch, who has taken the Oilers to the Stanley Cup Final the past two seasons, is entering the last year of his three-year deal after he replaced Jay Woodcroft, who is now on Joel Quenneville’s staff in Anaheim.

He’s getting an extension, likely for another two or three years — a signed contract on his 47thbirthday Sept. 24 might be nice — but Knoblauch isn’t sweating the timeline. GM Stan Bowman has bigger fish to fry with 97 than his coach.

“Obviously the city is a lot more concerned about Connor and I would be surprised if anybody in the city knew I was going into my last year,” laughed Knoblauch.

NO SWEAT FOR WALMAN

Defencemen are creatures of habit. Left-shooters play left side, righties stay on the right with a few notable exceptions, like Jonas Brodin in Minnesota, but the left-shot Jake Walman has embraced playing the right with fellow lefty Darnell Nurse.

“I can play both sides and I’m comfortable anywhere but some stability is what I’ve been after. I have a great connection with Doc playing right,” said Walman.

“There’s some things that open up on the right side. I like to create things in the offensive zone and on the right there’s more to exploit than being on my strong side,” said Walman, a staple on the penalty-kill, too. “That’s where I enjoy it most as a left-shot guy, but on right. I like to block shots and going down on that side, you can see the play more.”

The Oilers are working on a long-term extension for Walman, 29, who makes $3.4 million for this season and is likely a $5.5 million to $6 million AAV second-pairing D on the open market. “I’ve enjoyed my time here and I’m right where I want to be and where I need to be. Had that playoff taste and now I’d like the whole thing,” said Walman, whose agent Wade Arnott, Jason’s brother, was in town last week to talk with GM Stan Bowman.

WELCOME BACK

Local product Luke Prokop, who was drafted by Nashville in the third round in 2020 but wasn’t tendered a qualifying offer before July 1 after spending all of last season in the AHL in Milwaukee, wants a job in Bakersfield after signing an AHL deal there.

Next step on the road for Prokop, who played junior here, in Calgary and Seattle.

“My last couple of years in pro hockey I haven’t played as many games as I would like,” said Prokop, 23, who only got into 31 games in Milwaukee last season for a total of 40 in the AHL as well as 55 in the ECHL, so 95 total.

He waited until Aug. 11 to sign with the Oilers organization. It’s not a given he’ll play in Bakersfield because he’s on an AHL deal and the Oilers will give first dibs to their signed guys like Cam Dineen, Alec Regula, Josh Brown, Beau Akey, if all wind up on the farm, but he’s happy for new start.

“I’d like to think I’m a very patient person but maybe not. The first couple of days of free agency I was thinking it would be boom, boom, boom, right away. Seeing other people sign here, sign there,” said Prokop, who still has all of his Predators gear but it’s not coming out.

“It’s in the basement at home, collecting dust. It’ll probably be there for a bit. My family has hats and souvenirs from Nashville but they’ll be happy to switch to the Oilers,” he said.

This ‘n that: Oilers forward Trent Frederic soldiered through his high ankle sprain in the playoffs last spring, his skating suffering. “The first couple of steps,” he said. He did have a conversation with Draisaitl, who went through the same thing in the 2022 playoffs but it was a different circumstance. “His was reversed. He was even better when he had his. He’s different,” said Frederic … When Glen Gulutzan got the Dallas head job, Knoblauch needed an assistant coach to run the power play and look after the forwards, and hired Calgary Hitmen junior coach Paul McFarland, somebody he barely had a history with. That’s unusual in the hiring process. But McFarland obviously interviews well, along with being a smart guy. “I knew him but only a little bit. I was with Paul on a U17 Canadian coaching staff once for a week or two,” said Knoblauch … Ex Oilers winger Zack Kassian, who was on the Oilers pro scouting staff last season, learning the ropes from Oilers head of pro scouting Warren Rychel, his old Windsor Spitfires junior GM, is changing gears. Kassian is now eying an assistant coaching job in junior hockey, somewhere … Local goalie Josh Banini, who was at the Oilers rookie camp, has been traded from Moose Jaw to Kelowna for two draft picks. Kelowna’s hosting the 2026 Memorial Cup so a nice move for Banini … Patrick Marleau’s son Landon, 18, is going to be playing for the Spruce Grove Saints now after being with Powell River (B.C.) last season … Hyman’s brother Spencer, the GM of the Brantford junior team the family owns, drafted the most unique defenceman in history in July — seven foot, 273-pound Moldovan Alexander Karmanov, 17, who played some in Russia and in Pennsylvania, but is very green. He’s bigger than Zdeno Chara, who was 6’9” when he played WHL junior in Prince George. There’s no equipment that fits Karmanov, eligible for the 2026 NHL draft. “Our guy is going to play junior B this season,” said Hyman, admitting Karmanov also has a verbal to go to Penn State U to play in 2026, which seems a reach for a player with hoops size but not a lot of hockey skill, but we’ll see … Interesting that Curtis Lazar and Noah Philp, possibly battling for a fourth-line centre spot, are on the same line for the first two days of practice. Lazar is on right wing and Philp, who has to clear waivers now to get sent to Bakersfield if he doesn’t make the team, is in the middle … Milan Lucic, on a camp tryout at 37, is in tough to get a contract in St. Louis because the Blues have several fourth-line wingers already signed but the ex Oilers winger, who is 22 months sober after he went into the NHL’s player assistance program, missing all of last season, has lots of people in his corner. “I don’t think we got pushed around last year but there were three or four teams that felt a little more comfortable than they will be if he can still play and be on our roster,” Armstrong told the media in St. Louis.