The Edmonton Oilers locked up Leon Draisaitl on Tuesday, signing the 28-year-old center to an eight-year, $112 million contract that begins next season.
“I wanted to be an Oiler for life,” Draisaitl said.
Now the Oilers must do the same with Connor McDavid and surround the duo with a supporting cast strong enough to win the Stanley Cup, but those are good problems to have.
“Players like Leon are special,” general manager Stan Bowman said. “There are not many people in the world that can play hockey like he does. There’s no way we could ever replace what Leon brings to the table. He’s a huge part of our team. He has been, and he will continue to be. For me, it was never a question.
“Certainly, there’s going to be challenges in the future, but that’s for us to figure out down the road.”
Draisaitl is entering the final season of an eight-year, $68 million contract ($8.5 million average annual value) he signed with the Oilers on Aug. 16, 2017. He could have been an unrestricted free agent after the season and sought more than the average annual value of $14 million he received. He could have tried to escape McDavid’s shadow.
By signing Draisaitl before training camp, the Oilers avoid distractions this season. They also send a message to McDavid, who has two seasons left on the eight-year, $100 million contract ($12.5 million AAV) he signed with the Oilers on July 5, 2017. The 27-year-old center will be eligible to sign another contract July 1.
“We want to win, and we’re going to do everything in our power, and hopefully that’s going to be something that Connor likes to hear,” Bowman said.
The Oilers’ priority must be to keep Draisaitl and McDavid together, even though that would take up a massive portion of the NHL salary cap.