The Edmonton Oilers made National Hockey League headlines on Tuesday when they announced that their star centre, Leon Draisaitl of Cologne, Germany had signed an eight-year deal worth $112 million. The contract will give Draisaitl $14 million per season.
Highest paid player in the NHL
Draisaitl will now be with the Oilers every season through to 2031-32. The contract is set to start in 2025-26. Daisaitl is in the final year of his previous contract that he signed in 2017. That contract saw Draisaitl earn $68 million over eight years. and see him earn $8.5 million per year.
What will Connor McDavid do?
The Oilers management will still have a lot of work to do to re-sign their top player, and face of the franchise, Connor McDavid of Richmond Hill, Ontario. McDavid is in the second last year of his contract where he is making $100 million over eight years. In 2024-25 and 2025-26, McDavid will be earning $12.5 million each season. There is no chance McDavid will sign less than $14 million in his next contract, and is expected to be in the neighbourhood of $16 to $17 million.
Draisaitl in 2023-24
Draisaitl had 41 goals and 65 assists for 106 points in 81 games. He was a +26 with 76 penalty minutes, 39 power-play points, seven game-winning goals, two shorthanded points, 217 shots on goal, 826 faceoff wins, 26 blocked shots, 58 hits, 82 takeaways, and 92 giveaways.
One win away from the Stanley Cup
The Oilers were very close to winning the 2024 Stanley Cup. They reached the seventh game of the Stanley Cup Finals before losing 2-1 to the Florida Panthers in a tight checking affair.
Will the Oilers be competitive in Draisaitl’s tenure?
The next big question in Edmonton is will the team still be able to compete for Stanley Cups with Draisaitl earning a huge contract? That is going to be the next big assignment for Oilers general manager Stan Bowman. For now, Bowman has stated that he knows there are future challenges ahead, but today is a day to celebrate.
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