After months of speculation, Leon Draisaitl has finally signed an extension with the Edmonton Oilers. Announced early Tuesday morning, the Oilers and Draisaitl agreed on an eight-year contract worth $14 million annually, making it the largest contract in NHL history. This extension keeps a bonafide superstar in Edmonton for the rest of his career.
It also increases the likelihood that Connor McDavid and Evan Bouchard will extend with the Oilers. After a strong few seasons showcasing his offensive dominance, Draisaitl cashed in on his value. With that, here’s a deeper look at his new contract.
Draisaitl Could Have Earned More
Some immediately assumed that Draisaitl did not take the team-friendly deal everyone had hoped for. However, if he had hit the open market next summer, I know he would have been able to get north of $16 million annually. While the number the two sides agreed on is still a ton of money, it’s a great price and will benefit the Oilers. It proves they still want to contend now while also showing their other stars that they are committed to long-term success.
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Draisaitl would have had any team that could afford him make him an offer next summer, so who knows how high the number might have been. It’s clear that he sees success with the Oilers and wants to be part of a Stanley Cup-winning team, proven by locking in for the rest of his prime.
Extension Grade: A++
It’s impossible to give this extension anything less than the best grade possible. There was no real-world scenario where Draisaitl took a massive pay cut again, and he has earned every penny of this new deal. His defensive analytics may cause some to argue he isn’t as valuable as Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews, who makes $13.25 million annually, but his playoff success, combined with his point production over the past several seasons, make him one of the best offensive players the NHL has ever seen.
It’s not every day a team can bring in a player like Draisaitl, who has such natural goal-scoring ability; to have two on their team is remarkable. Throughout his career, he has played 719 regular-season games, scoring 347 goals and 503 assists for a 1.18 points-per-game average. On top of that, he has reached the single-season 100-point plateau five times.
Even more interesting is Draisaitl’s playoff success. Through 74 playoff games, he has scored 41 goals and 108 points, which comes out to a 1.46 points-per-game average. He has all the tools to help bring the Oilers their first championship since 1990, and I would expect him to find another gear now that the extension is complete and he can focus solely on winning.
Everything that Draisaitl brings to the table makes this extension worth an A++ grade. Paying this kind of money may hurt down the line when the Oilers shift back into rebuild mode, but for now, it’s worth paying a superstar of his calibre this kind of money. Oilers fans can now take a giant sigh of relief as the team heads toward training camp.
Now that the biggest news story surrounding the Oilers is over and done with, General Manager (GM) Stan Bowman must shift his focus. He has two stars to extend in McDavid and Bouchard, but he also has some money to spend this season if he wants to improve the roster closer to the 2025 Trade Deadline. While Bowman’s moves have been phenomenal since signing on as GM, the work is just getting started. Hopefully, the Oilers can continue on their path to winning their sixth Stanley Cup in franchise history, and they can prove everyone wrong by finally getting over the hump.
