Celebrity Oilers heart Leon Draisaitl has signed an eight-year, $112M extension to maintain him in Edmonton by the 2032-33 season, the team announced. He’s now the NHL’s highest-paid participant with a median annual worth of $14M, as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman initially reported.
Draisaitl has a full no-movement clause for the contract’s life, per Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic. He provides that the deal carries a front-loaded construction, though the wage breakdown has but to be reported.
The 28-year-old Draisaitl additionally lands the second-largest contract by whole worth in NHL historical past, trailing solely Alex Ovechkin’s 13-year, $124M take care of the Capitals signed beneath the earlier Collective Bargaining Settlement in 2008.
“This can be a historic day for the Edmonton Oilers,” basic supervisor Stan Bowman stated in a staff press launch. “Leon’s dedication to our staff, our metropolis and Oilers followers in every single place can’t be overstated. His want to assist deliver a Stanley Cup title residence to Edmonton is central to all the things he does each on and off the ice.”
While it was widely expected Draisaitl would sign a max-term extension to stay in Edmonton, few thought he’d be the first player to land a $14M AAV. There was no guarantee he’d eclipse Auston Matthews’ $13.25M AAV to turn into the brand new highest-paid participant within the league, not to mention shatter it. Nevertheless, since Bowman took the GM’s workplace in July, extension discussions have been reportedly easy, which, in hindsight, ought to have been a robust indication that the Oilers have been prepared to shell out record-breaking money to maintain the German star in Edmonton.
Not like his different generational teammate, Connor McDavid, Draisaitl wasn’t an influence piece instantly upon arriving within the NHL. The 2014 third-overall choose had simply two targets and 9 factors in 37 video games throughout his post-draft yr. He developed right into a high-end top-six piece over the approaching years, routinely hitting over 20 targets and 70 factors, however hadn’t fairly captured the aura of a famous person.
That each one modified in 2018-19. Whereas the Oilers missed the playoffs for the twelfth time in 13 years, it was a correct breakout marketing campaign for Draisaitl, who led the staff in targets (50) and completed second behind McDavid in factors with 105. Since that season, Edmonton has made the playoffs yearly, and Draisaitl has recorded or been on tempo for over 100 factors in an 82-game yr. A two-time year-end All-Star, Draisaitl additionally took residence the Art Ross, Hart, and Pearson awards/trophies through the 2019-20 season after main the league with 67 assists and 110 factors in 71 video games.
The Cologne-born pivot can also be one of the crucial prolific playoff performers in league historical past. His 108 factors in 74 postseason video games work out to 1.46 P/GP, which is fourth all-time amongst gamers with at the very least 50 video games of playoff expertise. Solely Wayne Gretzky (1.84), Mario Lemieux (1.61), and McDavid (1.58) have produced extra on a nightly foundation when the video games matter most. It’s imposing when contemplating Draisaitl has performed by accidents for an excellent chunk of the previous three postseasons.
The remainder of the league is aware of the very best out there potential 2025 unrestricted free agent received’t hit the open market. There’s an opportunity he might have landed much more cash per season with the wage cap anticipated to rise to at the very least $92M for 2025-26, however the whole worth probably would have been smaller with a seven-year most.
Even after declining to match the wealthy supply sheets levied by the Blues for Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway final month, Bowman and the Oilers now discover themselves in a severely precarious wage cap state of affairs for 2025-26. They have already got a projected cap hit of $77.4M, per PuckPedia, leaving them $14.6M to re-sign pending RFA defenseman Evan Bouchard and fill at the very least three different roster spots (assuming a $92M higher restrict). 38.9% of subsequent season’s spending is already devoted solely to Draisaitl, McDavid, and Darnell Nurse.
As such, the Oilers’ directive to win a championship within the Draisaitl/McDavid period is clearer than it’s ever been in 2024-25. After falling one sport in need of their first Stanley Cup in over 30 years a number of months in the past, they’ll must retrace their steps and discover their manner again to the Cup Last.
They’ll be capable to rating their manner there after reloading offensively by including names like Viktor Arvidsson and Jeff Skinner in free company. Nevertheless, query marks will stay on protection outdoors of their star pairing of Bouchard and Mattias Ekholm. There isn’t a ton of stability behind them, and whereas commerce acquisition Ty Emberson needs to be a cheap alternative for Cody Ceci, declining play from Nurse is a big concern.
Draisaitl will play out 2023-24 beneath his earlier contract, incomes $8M in precise wage within the remaining season of the eight-year, $68M deal he signed coming off his entry-level contract in 2017.
