The roller coaster offseason of 2024 came with some really good news this morning.
The Edmonton Oilers have re-signed superstar forward Leon Draisaitl to an eight-year contract extension that will pay him an average annual value of $14M per season. The 28-year-old has been a consistent 100+ point player in 5 of his last 6 seasons and is arguably the game’s biggest playoff performer, barring any nagging injuries. He still has one season left on a current deal, paying him $8.5M per season. When that contract was signed in 2017, Draisaitl wasn’t the German Gretzky we see now, and many people viewed it as a massive overpayment. Safe to say, seven years after that signing and a whole decade after being drafted 3rd overall, this new deal is a more accurate reflection of the on-ice product.
Oilers fans can breathe a sigh of relief now, but I personally never worried too much about it. Of course I’m ecstatic, but this anxiety comes out with any star player needing a new deal, because it’s always more fun for leaguewide fans to picture a scenario where they don’t re-sign. You just hear it in his interviews, you see the bromance between him and Connor McDavid, he had no intentions of leaving Edmonton. Why would he after being one game away from being a champion?
Frank Seravalli chatted with Oilers Now host Bob Stauffer before the 2024 Playoffs were over and speculated that the goal for Oilers management was to get Draisaitl, McDavid, and Evan Bouchard making $40M all together against the salary cap. One down, two more to go. Staying cap-compliant with these stars will naturally get tougher, but Edmonton’s Stanley Cup window is staying open for just a tad longer.
