Draisaitl will become NHL's highest-paid player with new Oilers deal
The Edmonton Oilers appear to have sorted out at least one piece of their salary cap puzzle, even if they’ll be paying a pretty penny in the future to do so.
On Tuesday morning, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman posted on X that the Oilers and star forward Leon Draisaitl “have made significant progress on a contract extension.”
Hearing the Edmonton Oilers and Leon Draisaitl have made significant progress on a contract extension. No one is commenting, but it appears we are close to an eight-year extension.
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) September 3, 2024
“No one is commenting, but it appears we are close to an eight-year extension,” Friedman added.
Though he did not have a dollar figure on the deal at this point in time, Friedman suggested the deal could be worth $14 million annually, which would make him the highest-paid player in the league.
We will see the exact total, but AAV is approx $14M ā which is highest in the NHL
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) September 3, 2024
Shortly after Friedman reported the news, the Oilers later confirmed the contract at $14 million per year.
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The #Oilers have signed forward Leon Draisaitl to an eight-year contract extension beginning in 2025-26 with an average annual value of $14 million. pic.twitter.com/wERUyneHA7
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) September 3, 2024
Draisaitl has 347 goals and 503 assists in 719 games for the Oilers in his career, and has one year left on an eight-year deal worth $8.5 million per season.
With rumours circulating about Draisaitl’s future for weeks, Oilers Now host Bob Stauffer seemed to allude to the deal getting signed about 30 minutes before the news became official.
Today is going to be a good day in Oil Country…
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— Bob Stauffer (@Bob_Stauffer) September 3, 2024
Just one week ago, there was a bit of anxiety about the deal getting done.
āI donāt wanna put too fine a point on it because these things change pretty rapidly,ā NHL insider Frank Seravalli said on last Monday nightās edition of OilersNow.
āItās unfair to characterize it as hitting a snag. I would say, right now my understanding is that at least on a money basis, AAV, I think these two sides are a little bit further apart than I envisioned.ā
Up next for the Oilers is the future of Connor McDavid, who is eligible to sign a new contract as of next July. McDavid is heading into year seven of an eight-year deal worth $100 million, or $12.5 million per season.