These are the tentative first NHL steps for Leon Draisaitl in the fall of 2014. We see a player who is playing depth minutes and getting outscored at five-on-five. When he was sent back to junior, Draisaitl had a five-on-five goal share of 31 percent (11-25). Some of you may think that was the worst total on the 2014-15 Oilers among forwards.
I chortle. Silly human.. Jesse Joensuu went 1-11 for the same team. From that humble beginning, Mr. Draisaitl grew to become the tall tall tree we see today. Another rumour hitting the mill saying LD is signing as soon as today. I’m no insider but will tell you what I’ve learned from decades of watching the good ship Oiler careen from flesh to fantasy.
For as long as I can recall, and most certainly the entire NHL run (beginning in 1979) for this organization, the team offers ‘tells’ about future events. Sometimes it’s a test idea, something the organization is considering and would prefer to cast about the planet to see fan reaction.
Most often, when something filters through to the public the thrust of the reason is to cushion the blow. Chris Pronger’s trade request had a soft opening. The first rumours I heard came during the SC final iirc. The Jordan Eberle trade was preceded by an enormous amount of criticism regarding the young winger’s inability to get the puck out on a key play in a playoff game. In fact, his pass jumped over the stick of Mark Letestu on the play and was a big ole dose of bad luck. Oilers dealt Eberle with extreme prejudice about six weeks after the playoffs ended.
I knew on the day of the 2012 draft that the Oilers were taking Nail Yakupov. Bob Stauffer was on the radio for his show and spoke openly about the organization’s thought process (detailed later in a brilliant article by Mark Spector). Bob doesn’t tell everything on the radio, but on that day I got the sense new management arrival Craig MacTavish was a strong voice. MacT would later prove to be an astute judge of first-round talent, playing a key role in the acquisitions of Darnell Nurse and Leon Draisaitl.
All of this to say the following: I don’t know what day he’ll sign, but this observer of all things Oilers can say with some authority that the organization has offered no hints of bad news. Maybe the course laid out of CEO Jeff Jackson is to keep everything quiet, we certainly didn’t know anything about the loud noises this summer until the news hit the wire. I’m telling you this because I know it’s bothering you based on comments I’ve seen. I believe Draisaitl signs long term with the Edmonton Oilers soon.
Noon today on the Lowdown, we’ll see the return of Daniel Nugent-Bowman at The Athletic as our feature guest. We’ll also have Jason Gregor along to talk Leon and Elks, plus your comments are welcome. I’m at Lowetide on twitter, in the comments section here and on the Sports 1440 text line at 1.833.401.1440 directly.
Fantastic he re-signed and zero issues with the money. Getting to watch McDavid and Drai play for the the Oilers for almost 20 years is priceless. Enjoy every minute folks.
Dave Pagnotta:
“ $104M of Leon Draisaitl’s $112M contract, which kicks in next season, is to be paid out in signing bonuses. His annual salary starting 2025-26 season is $1M.”
Buyout proof.
Base salary every year is $1 million.
You finally noticed.
No Oiler fan that i know has any consideration of a buyout or concern that the contract is “buyout proof” – yes, we also understand the age the contract takes the player to. The only reason this would go that bad at the end is injury and that provides other avenues other than buyout.
This contract from the second most influential Oiler leader won’t influence Bouchard to “take less”.
We shouldn’t expect to see one.
who was it that got us to expect one with Draisattl anyways? Stauffer? Seravilli?
This was not a “take less to win” deal.
Draisattl is an NHLPA hero
NHL players and NHLPA associates are all congratulating Leon and his agent for TWICE signing a bar raising contract.
btw – I love Leon (a little less now though tbh) and am glad he re-signed obviously. He’d have been crazy no to.
btw2 – for those (like me) suffering from PTSD from our former Oiler heroes leaving and would take Leon back at any price, I don’t take as much comfort as some seem to be that an 8 year contract means he’ll be here for 8 years. Many things can change.
Only if he decides. It is the way, terrible for teams and fans
Sounds like there was a decent change the Drai deal would have been announced late last week but they delayed, of course, due to the Gaudreau tragedy……
Henrique is saying, “I thought we were all taking less”?!
Yup
He did take less. How much would a GM pay him as a FA next summer? 16?
Aged out mid tier 2/3 C is not in the same bracket as a top-5 NHL C in his prime.
I don’t know how or why you’re equivocating the two.
I didn’t equivocate the two. I’m not sure why you think I did. Their level of play has.nothing to do with an alleged agreement or plan to take less.
odd judgement by you
Level of play has everything to do with contract terms. These two players are not the same.
You inferred that Henrique took a discount. I disagree. That’s the gist of my reply.
oh I see, I was pretty sure it was reported that Henry took a discount.
It was reported with somewhat official certainty that the Jets offered Henrique 2 X $3.5MM.
Let’s not discount the role of Daryl K. in this. It’s not just the contract itself (and the massive signing bonus payments) but the things, big and small, he does for the players.
We’ve stated hearing about it more and more but it’s becoming a thing that the little perks given to the players and how their families are treated play a big part in it.
From little things like taking player input on travel schedules to allowing them to stay in Montreal for a Super Bowl party (and finding it) to use of the plane (maybe not for everyone).
Listen to Drai on with Stauff tonight and his voice when he talks about how great it is to be an Oilers is like a little kid full of excitement and joy.
I was also thinking this was owner driven. It’s not team friendly or risk averse
It is a good – maybe – financial decision given the other investments
We must assume that by making the playoffs during the years of this contract the owner is making an additional 100’s of millions. Seems like a good deal for both parties.
I’ve read some opinions about Leon not driving at 5 on 5 but isn’t he the guy that make Yamo a 20 goal scorer and made McLeod look like a legit producing top 6 winger and made Foegele a 20 goal scorer with legit top 6 (even top line) scoring rates???
Didn’t Draisaitl win the Hart trophy with Yamamoto and RNH as his wingers? Why, yes, yes he did.
5 years ago.
and he’s just been total shit in the years since….
This
So, recently.
And only three guys have won it since.
And, most crucially, one of them was a media darling against whom a robust statistical case could be made that he was undeserving of the title of “most valuable to his team” considering the WOWYs.
I thought Foegele was a top-6 producer away from Draisaitl by the numbers? Few top-6 minutes, minimal PP time, etc…
Any discussion or rebuttal was met with these stats and any supposition that Foegele was a middle six player on a heater was demonstrably false according to the data.
I NEVER said he was that away from Drai – never.
In fact, I don’t know how to parce a players personal stats with or without players.
I always posted his straight up point totals at 5 on 5 with reference to others in the league – never parsed by “with or without Drai” as I don’t even know how to do that (only team stats with and without players).
Hmmm, memory can be a fickle thing so I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt… but there was a pretty constant (and often loud) drum beat about WF being bonafide top six, often playing without the benefit of QoT on Leon’s wing, or material PP time. So perhaps that was inferred, but never stated outright.
Pretty sure NST allows WOWYs to parse without teammates, but the website won’t load for some reason. I’ll try to link it if I can bring it up later.
I did find this nifty graph from Micah Blake McCurdy, which does a good job of visualizing why I called him Warren Fumble.
https://hockeyviz.com/player/foegewa96
Sounds like some additions on scouting and development side are likely at some point. They’ve been working on staffing and will make additions to current hockey ops staff. Per Bowman.
Stauff asked Bowman about adding a d-man prior to camp and while Bowman didn’t shut it down completely he sure made it sound unlikely.
How many D that are on NHL rosters can you have? If they have established that they aren’t wanting to go down, it’s obvious unless they crap the bed
You keep bringing up the waiver issue with guys like Stecher and Brown.
I think it’s far more likely if they bring in a guy like Dermott, or whomever else, and those two get out played then they’re going down to BAK (unless claimed).
Brown was a guy who struggled to tread water on a sinking ship. Him being waived is almost a no brainer, especially considering his contract. He’s the new good in the room AHL vet.
Stecher is less likely but not immune.
They waived Janmark for cap reasons.
Perry and Ryan aren’t immune, at least not if I’m calling the shots.
Just be/get better at all positions. Keep rolling. If old guys or young guys aren’t able to pass muster, send them down. Most teams have guys on the cusp who pass waivers annually.
I think Stecher could very easily get claimed on waivers by a team that has had an injury or two in camp. That’s a heck of a value contract given his career history and age.
I think the 3-year term on Brown was somewhat to make it “claim proof”.
I certainly don’t think Perry and Ryan play nightly and they very well could even be replaced on the roster itself if things break right for a Philp and/or Podz (Savoie, Lavoie, Jarventie).
Endorsements and retail marketing just got better in Edmonton now that Leon is signed for another eight years. I mean that Skip tv commercial with Big D wearing that humungous pancho and trying to be serious is just gold. Makes me wonder what he squandered the money on that Mom gave him for acting lessons. Congratulations to all Oiler fans today as we banish the ghosts of players lost to other teams because our pockets were empty. Darryl K@tz you are the very best thing that could have ever happened to my team and I love you man!!
Shouldn’t Draisaitl be flogging furniture?
Zigge,Zagge,Hoi,Hoi,Hoi
Bowman says update on Kane in the next 7-10 days.
Sounds like the boys will NOT be having Captain Skates this year – at least nothing nearly as formal as last season. Makes sense given the very short off-season (its been barely over two months since their last game) and, well, it didn’t quite work last year and they started training camp kind of banged up.
With that said, some picks of Ekholm and Hyman and, I believe, Josh Brown and Grubbe, skating in Edmonton today…..
I think it might have been a big mistake last year. Not that they were pooped too early but I think it set expectations completely on some unrealistic temporal clown ride. I’m convinced they came into game one in Vancouver ready to play in the playoffs and we’re completely emotionally drained when they took an honest look at the calendar. I remember thinking of the skates at the time, this is good. This is locked in.
But it was a bit of an Of Mice and Men thing after all.
I thought that they came into last season over amped
Holland was saying to the fan base they were going for it, I’m sure out what he thought was the best thing. He didn’t make roster moves etc
But when you are the GM of a team like this one, there needs to be a higher level of game
He knows how competitive Connor is, and Leon, and I think should have been working in the other direction, calm down etc, make it lower key. I think that they were pushing so hard at the start with skates, expectations, it lead to the season start fail
Bowman has taken a different approach. He says you can’t expect anything by his experience. The players by reports aren’t doing anything as a team early, partly from the success and shorter summer
You have to be ready for anything, and you also have to understand it’s a long haul in hockey, and being your best in the following spring is most important. And surviving that spring. Playing a heavy game is great, unless you are a skill player and repeatedly are too beat up to win the deal
Connor and Leon need to be healthy. And Bouch and Ek. You choose your spots, and you preserve. Everyone else that aren’t elite can hammer it out, you can win without them. The biggest impediment so far to a cup is Leon is too damaged in the series they are eliminated in. 3 playoffs in a row, low production and limited effectiveness. Do something different
Honestly, given the audition that will take place on RD this year, and even for #7D overall, were I one of Brown, Emberson, et al I would be on the ice learning the muscle memory stuff as soon as possible.
Nothing crazy mind you, just some time, most every day, getting the mindset of the coaches ingrained in my play.
(heh, me rhymed)
Anyways, no reason to let them see me fail at the basics.
— I mean whose kidding who. We don’t know what we don’t know. Fans be like :
IF – Oilers brought back Captain skate
THEN – Yeah they learned and it’s good move
IF – Oilers only have a few people doing Captain Skate
THEN – Yeah they don’t need to all be there
IF – Oilers had no Captain Skate
THEN – Yeah they learn and they don’t need to
— It’s all good…
Redux from many long comments
I am not convinced these guys get how to do it. Always beaten down physically too far by crunch time. 28 and 29 years old, end of prime years for most. Connor has managed to keep his level up enough in playoff elimination series, Leon not
We’ll see this season. But to me they have to be different. KK gets it, he has said checking/hitting is not his focus. Previous coaches and BoB were all about it and I think the two are too much focused on it. Leon is big, Connor isn’t. Hasn’t worked so far
They are better at two way play. Still a next step. They don’t have too much rope here as others teams rise with high talent young players. This should have been a 3 cup team no problem having Connor, despite what LT says
Connor was pointless in Game 6 and 7 of the final. Was that an example of him “keeping his level up” while Leon was not?
Here is a question – any way to make so Emberson is NOT a UFA at the end of the year?
To me it looks like the team getting him in 50 games (needs 80, has 30) and then he is an RFA
Am I missing something?
Sign him to a contract
Isn’t that the same player management that led to Broberg being disgruntled?
A two year contract with a substantial signing bonus should appeal to him at this point.
If he plays 50 games he’ll be a regular RFA, if he plays less than 50 he’ll be a group VI UFA.
I wish this came earlier in the summer when I had more time to cut a video of Leon set to Boney M’s “Daddy Cool”. Just imagine it in your heads for me.
Given the extremely German lead vocal by Frank Farian, good choice.
But given the cap hit, Farian’s “Baby Don’t Forget My Number” is perhaps a better fit.
Am I reading Leaf fans going from
“They’ll never sign long term”
to
“Pfft you can’t load up look what happened to us, idiots”
in no time at all?
eat shit and never change leafs nation
Huge, wonderful news.
Spent a good chunk of the summer hoping it would be less than $14m and praying it would not be more than $14m. Always figured it would be $14m.
So, I am very happy with this.
Teams would have lined up around the block to have a shot at him next year. KIngs would have loved to have a Kopitar replacement in hand (natural Cap increase + Provorov money + a trade of Danault and boom! Leon’s yer uncle). And that’s just the Kings. Almost every team out there could make this contract happen. Easily. Who would TO rather have – Tavares or Draisaitl? Easily doable, easier call.
Going to call it now. McDavid at $15m even.
Bowman aside, been a good off-season for the Oilers. Would have vastly preferred Holloway over Skinner. We could have waited on Skinner.
Many teams would like Leon. But he is not really a replacement for a player like Kopitar. He isn’t a strong two way player in a while. He doesn’t drive a line without the right help – the top elite can mostly. We know this from his 5v5 GF% away from Connor. It’s good, but it should be better than good. Like Nurse. At the cap hit you should be carrying because there isn’t cap for much help
He is very talented at what he likes to do. Puck on the right wall, one timer, sometimes strong backchecks. When the right wall seams are closed he forces high danger passes. Sometimes he will carry up. Long shifts leaving him leg less. It’s not consistent driving play like Connor’s is. Kopitar controls shifts and play against anyone, less now, before mostly. Barkov is another
They had to sign him because the right deal to replace him is not an easy one to win. Given he said it was always Oilers, I would have preferred a more team friendly deal. This is 100% player given structure and protection. As it happens these days
I will be on his case after next season. You take that, you live up to it, no excuses. I hope he’s not in Nurse’s camp – take the money, hoop your buddies and fans. League top salary comes with league top results. Without Connor. Get paid, don’t fail
Agree 100% on pretty much everything.
58%
What?
Leon Draisaitl’s 5v5 GF% without McDavid last season was 58%.
Oh.
22-23?
48%
Eww. What about before?
21-22 54%
20-21 58%
19-20 57%
Huh.
Nope, definitely not top elite…
His numbers away from Connor are only good not great because he gets the scrubs while Connor gets Hyman and Nuge.
You claim he can’t drive a line yet the team and the HC continually trust him to saw off with lesser linemates. Odd strategy for a player who is supposedly poor defensively and not a driver.
Now that Leon will finally have decent finishers as wingers, I anticipate he’ll be silencing a lot of his critics this season.
3 time 50 goal scorer. Hart Trophy winner. Best passer in the league. Yeah, he’s pretty good at what he likes to do to. lol
^ this all day and it’s been fixed this offseason.
Dylan Holloway had his shot and couldn’t score enough to keep up. Bring in a guy that knows what he’s doing, like Skinner, and this team is going to destroy the competition.
Such a bad hot-take.
Wingers in slumps were paired with him to get them going. McLeod and Foegele had best stretches of their careers when put on Drai’s wings. But, he can’t drive a line right?
Did you watch the series vs LA? Serious question. When they tried throwing Kopitar out against him because they wanted Danault out vs McDavid, no matter who his wingers were, he outplayed Kopitar, and kept Kopitar’s line hemmed in their own end just about every shift. They switched the matchup because Drai dominated Kopitar. Danault didn’t do much better.
No, he wouldn’t be a Kopitar replacement. He’d be a Kopitar upgrade.
“Going to call it now. McDavid at $15m even.”
My guess: $14,000,000
My guess has been, and remains, 16m. Bouch on 2 year bridge approx 6m, then 8 yr extension at 11-12m.
Yup. Need to get over the Campbell hump.
Also need to see Bouch kill some penalties… tis the way of full fledged #1 dmen.
It’s a great day in Oilerville. With Leon signing I hope it’s a signals that Bouchard and Connor follow suit and ante up for a 8 year run at the cup.
Give this core a run at it 8 times I’m also certain they’ll get a couple. And that would be more than good enough for me. I just want one. Today is a huge step.
Enjoying a superstar contract signing for the Oilers is a bit like watching a Marvel movie. It requires some suspension of disbelief.
You try and enjoy the player saying how much he loves the team and the town and how it’s all about winning while the back of your mind is screaming. “You’re now the highest paid player in the league!!”
Personally I find it helpful not to look at wedding photos. That’s where the CGI illusion really breaks down.
Watching 9 more years of Leon sweet backhand passes is well worth the price of admission. Even if Leon is beat-up the last few years he’ll gear himself up for the Playoffs. I really believe this will be Leon’s big year with Connor getting the hard matchups and Jackson finally getting some finishers for Leon.
Completely agree.
Draisaitl is Messier all over again for me. Because he played in Gretzky’s shadow, fans here didn’t truly appreciate his greatness until the Great One left and Mess won the Cups in 90 with the Oilers and 94 with the Rangers. How many did Wayne win without him….?
Leon has twice been voted the best passer in the entire league by his fellow players. And he’s got Ovie’s one-timer to boot! A special special talent.
I wish all the fans who call him lazy would better appreciate how rare it is for a big man to have the skillset he does. I would kill for a time machine to watch Leon go head to head with someone like Lindros, Messier, or Lemieux. Those are his comps imo.
Who knows Leon might be the slowest player in the NHL by the time this is done but even then he’ll be lobbing perfect sauce into his 50s.
Drai’s playoff performances (before he got hurt this year) were spectacular.
Nonetheless, his EV scoring hasn’t been elite. His defensive work leaves something to be desired. He obviously works magic on our power play, but Connor is the straw that stirs the drink.
Obviously I’m happy he’ll be around for 8 more years. But a cap league is about contracts, not players. We can win lots of games with Drai, but can we win Stanley?
I don’t love the deal.
Even after getting to within 2 goals of winning the Cup, we can’t convince guys to take hometown discounts. We’re just happy that guys are willing to re-sign to play with their best buddies in our icy town.
It puts all the more urgency on 24-25. We’ll never have a better Cup window.
I’m confused by your post as it sounds like you are a Leon fan. Are you suggesting then that they should have tried to trade him with one year left on his deal? Or alternatively what AAV would you think was a “good” number.
I think it’s reasonable to assume that $14M was not the team’s opening offer. So it tracks that Leon would not have signed for less $, otherwise he would have. As a result, you sign him for the least possible $ you can, or try and trade him. However, he has a 10 team trade list, so the only practical way to get max value on a trade is send him to one of the 10 clubs on his list that wants him, and wants to sign him to an 8 year extension since otherwise he’d just play out the year and hit the open market.
As an Oiler fan we just had one of the top players in the world choose to resign with our team for another 8 years and profess his love for playing in Edmonton for the Oilers. This seems like a great day to be an Oiler fan and enjoy knowing we’ll get to continue to watch him push for Stanley (the Cup, not Bowman) alongside McDavid for years to come. IMO if you are OK with $13.5? then $14 is in the range. There’s a good argument that a Leon $500k “overspend” gets made up for by the Henrique, Skinner type contracts now and going forward as they’ve taken less to play here. McD is the headliner, but Leon is a big part of that draw.
I’m happy because we will continue to be a good team for a long time. That’s a lot better than the Decade of Darkness. It’s a delight to watch Connor and Leon play.
But I fear that we will not be able to get over the top once Leon’s extension kicks in. I worry that we are Pittsburgh in 2018.
I believe your underestimating Leon’s ability because his body ran out of gas in the final. Leon doesn’t need Connor to be a top 5 star in the N.H.L. The Stone Age has finally ended for Leon he’ll play with 2 finishers no more Kahuns. If Foegele and Yamo can score 20 I can’t wait for Skinner and a rambunctious Arvidsson to do what they do best.
I’m giving Leon credit of being seriously injured. His patented executioner’s shot on the PP was useless. And he didn’t engage at all in any board battles. I don’t think he ran out of gas.
If he actually ran out of gas, then I’d probably trade him. But I don’t think that was the case.
As for linemates, here are Leon’s rankings in EVP/60 over the last six seasons: 14, 37, 46, 12, 6, 18. Good, but not Mackinnonesque. And while he’s had weaker linemates the last couple of years, he had a lot of years of playing on Connor’s wing.
This is just a terrible take.
What exactly does a hometown discount look like to you?
Be specific. Like really specific.
It’s one thing to throw the term out there, but I want to know what it actually means in your mind.
Off the top of my head? $12.5MX8 (he gets his 9-figure deal), or $13MX6. Frankly even those aren’t much of a discount.
I think Draisaitl is just a notch below Mackinnon. Mackinnon was less of the cap hit than Drai will be.
And MacKinnion has only 4 seasons left on his deal.
The Avalanche will be better able to manage age related decline.
Even if we might have wanted a lower cap hit, like it or not Leon and Connor have a ton of pull as a unit. You can’t play hardball with him, while his bestie is taking notes. In it to win it and you get some of that on the back half with the Connor signing next year.
You might well be right.
In fact, Leon and Connor *and Darnell* have a ton of pull as a unit.
This reasoning is exactly how we got the albatross of a Nurse contract. Sign Nurse, keep McDavid and Draisaitl happy for discount deals. That didn’t really work out, did it?
Maybe it’s the best the franchise can do, given the headwinds we face. But I had hoped for better.
I think that they can carry 3 high contracts and compete at the top, given health I am confident 2 will stay above water, maybe all 3. It’s that nasty #4 that sank like a stone
5 lights.
With Nurse already in apparent decline and a 36 year old Ekholm reaching the end, there will be a critical need for a #1D.
The most likely internal hope now plays in St. Louis and there are currently zero prospects in the system and precious few draft picks for currency to acquire one.
How’s Rafferty doing?
Have you already forgotten Joe Snively?
Sign Leon-Bouchard-Connor-Nurse. That is our core which will give us 10 legit opportunities at the cup. With the shift of younger players taking the cap (Jarvis) this will open the door for the Oilers to get 1 or 2 year value village contracts on older money makers who need a shot in the arm stats wise for the final payday.
Don’t see how this team even fields a full squad with all four earning top dollars. I take it as read Nurse will be the first to go, barring a signing crisis with Bouch.
By the time McDavid’s next contract kicks in, the max 5% increase in the cap will be gone and the cap likely sky-rockets to $100MM plus and potentially even higher depending on potential CBA negotiated points and the new Canadian rights deals being put in place.
With the tragic death of Johnny Gadreau and the trade of Patrick Laine, Columbus is now almost $3 million below the cap floor with a 22 man roster.
Oddly enough, they have no non-roster player to add to their roster that will fill that hole.
Options on the free agent market are now extremely limited so I wonder if they are open to a significant trade.
You’d think the league would give them an exception on the cap floor here. Geez – talk about adding insult to injury.
— I wonder (hope) what kind of insurance would there be on that contract.
— In real jobs at least at our firm we get about 1.5x salary if death but we pay deductions for that. I wonder if NHL has something akin and/or what personal insurance his management group would have done.
I seem to recall Strudwick talking about electing for as many types of insurance as he could, so it would suggest to me that they’re individual electives?
Not totally sure, but that’s my recollection from how he described it on the radio.
— Sure any Hockey player could buy as much life insurance as they deem fit. If they have good financial advisors I know the playbook is to fund massive whole life policies which are no brainers : and I hope he had good counsel on this, but this isn’t likely to be shared.
— But separate I wonder what the NHL offers as part of their insurance to their employees as benefit package. I’ll ask around as I’m curious.
No, sorry, I should have been more precise.
He was referencing taking out injury insurance for a bum knee, or a concussion, and so on.
Like different specific policies of employment insurance.
If only Fernando had ulcerative colitis on his bingo card…
That would be an interesting data point. Be curious to hear what you find.
I could care less about retiring any player other than Connor. It actually means there will be another lost decade and lottery picks
The Oilers going to war with old Nuge, Hyman, Nurse, Drai, will be about as successful as the Penguins are, Connor like Sid will still be hammering it. Unless they get really lucky at the draft table there is no way to get top end talent in, unless it’s UFAs which means more old
Now that Armstrong opened the box you’ll see more high potential coming off ELC kids get the 8 year money making contracts. This money has to come off of someone’s pay and it’ll be the Skinners of the world stopping in Edmonton for a potential cup and a way to boost their stats for 1 final Leon-McDavid inflated contract elsewhere. Every year Bowman can find a star who’s in limbo like Skinner is.
Some fantastic quotes from Leon in the presser. Definitely wants to be an Oiler for life and could very well be the first Hall of Famer to spend his entire career in the Oil Drop.
Kudos to K@tz imo. He has the deep pockets of a legit major league owner and he proves it time and again. Pocklington describing the Great One as a “depreciating asset” is fading nicely in the rearview. This fanbase will finally get the Beliveau/Jeter moment it deserves.
“I have a hard time picturing myself in a different jersey”
Boston fans “you hear that? Sounds like he wants to play for the Bruins”
What’s a likely AAV for Leon if he went to market, after an average (for him, say 50g-50a-100p) season and a typical playoffs (~1.75 p/gm)?
I was going to ask before he signed but this dropped before I had the chance.
My guess is $14-$16MM isn’t unrealistic.
In that range, there would be very few teams willing or able to handle the cap hit.
Can you elaborate on which teams you think would be willing or able to go for Leon had he gone to market?
If you look up the NHL Salary Cap Tracker and enter 2025-2026 it seems to me like most teams, if they were willing to move on from some of their core/veteran players, could afford Draisaitl at more than $14M. WPG, DAL, ANA, SJ and DET are at the top of that list.
I can’t agree that this is a reasonable or discounted deal like some (Rishaug) are trying to sell… but it is fair market value for one of the top players in the league. I just wish the local media would stop saying that Draisaitl took a discount on his last contract – he did not. There were many who believed that he had not shown enough to get the dollars and term that he got from pistol Pete. He absolutely out-performed that contract but he did not take a discount. Nor did he this time.
My belief is, if teams knew that Leon would be available, they would all show interest and would be willing to fit him into their team, even if it meant trading some pieces away (and from your post, it sounds like most teams could make that happen).
HH’s post seems to imply that only very few teams would be willing to, which is why I am curious to know which teams he is referring to.
You bet. Vegas would find a way. Mark Stone would have a pre-season, career ending injury or the like.
This is true. People forget
Teams would have made the cap space available had Leon gone to market.
I mean, a team was willing to trade legit NHLers and then sign PLDB to an 8 x 8.5m contract.
Elite UFAs almost never go on the free market. I’m not sure this is actually a relevant comparable.
Case in point: Stamkos effectively went on the market (8 years ago) and ended up re-signing at a discount with Tampa.
John Tavares and the late (very sadly) Johnny Gaudreau are 2 examples. Both turned down higher offers from their original team (and other teams apparently) to go where they went for less $$ and term.
If a team like San Jose were willing to sign Tavares at 16.4% of the cap, then it seems highly likely there would be a team or two willing to give Leon kind of coin. Utah for example will have over 30 million in space going into the summer next season and only 2 players on their roster they can’t trade. They might have loved to make a big splash in the new market.
Even LA has 23 million projected and only Fiala and Kopitar fully locked in. None of it matters though since Leon’s not going anywhere for the better part of a decade.
HH trumpets that many teams have more cap flexibility than the Oilers.
Then, of course, the Oilers just signed a player that not many teams would have the cap flexibility to fit in. 🙄
HH praises Carolina for the Jarvis deal, but if Leon was available, I have no doubt that Carolina would leave Jarvis in a ditch on the side of the road if it meant they could sign Leon for $14 million a year.
Yeah, that “whooshing noise” you hear is the goalposts whizzing all over the place trying to create the “Oilers suck” narrative.
Every single comment evokes a head shake and eye roll. Yet they never tire of pissing people off, how sad a life.
In 4 or 5 years we will be talking about what great value contracts Connor & Leon have.
Media avail with Bowman and Draisaitl.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWf2vG-IOio
I don’t have much to add to this other than that I’m absolutely thrilled Draisaitl signed this extension. Like many of us who lived through the Gretzky sale, the Messier and Kurri situations, Doug Weight and Bill Guerin leaving far too soon and of course watching Kevin Lowe haggle with Ryan Smyth over what amounted to less than 600k/year, it’s so nice to see players wanting to stay and the team being both competitive enough and financially secure enough to make sure staying is possible. A truly welcome change. Get good players, keep good players.
While a good day for Oil country I wonder where negotiations started. I was hoping for a team friendly deal but I guess this level of player is not where you pinch pennies.
Really gonna need to make that Nurse contract go away
Drai showing that the Jarvis contract while clever and interesting is not really a template for success. As a player I’d much rather have my money now and invest it. Then risk waiting a decade and maybe end up in a much higher tax bracket
Good day for Drai, Oilers and Oiler fans
Definitely a great day for Drai. What a contract! It will be tougher to look at in the back half, so let’s hope there is enough money left to ensure management can fill out the roster with real players and finally get a Cup for this group.
Berezkin finishes game 1 with 2 assists, plus 1, 4 shots on goal in a 3-2 win.
He played 15:21 which is kind of middle of the pack.
What happened to the Jarvis deferred salary strategy?
Not a realistic option. Not in any employee’s best interest to do that deal. Would you loan money back to your employer for 7 years without any real benefit? Tbh, not even sure Jarvis realizes what he agreed to (and honestly flabbergasted that any sane Agent would allow his client to sign to). Unless there is something else to this that everyone has been missing, Seems like Carolina pulled a fast one on him.
You don’t think his agent/lawyer did due diligence on a 68 million dollar deal? You think it’s something they wouldn’t have discussed? Seems unlikely. Perhaps there is more fine print to an NHL contract than the plebs realize…
This is an interesting read/take on the deferred salary loophole, but I’m not convinced it’s a correct or fair take. Let’s consider two other pro leagues, the MLB and the NFL both have deferred payments and the ability to move money around contracts more freely. The NFL is a weird league and certainly not the most player friendly with the kinds of contracts it gives out, particularly with the lack of guaranteed money in later years and adding ‘void years’ with fake money that will always end up being converted to bonus money in order to stretch out the length of the contract to artificially push the cap value down for teams to keep their stars happy while still being able to field a competitive roster. In Baseball, look at that bonkers contract Ohtani signed, with most of the money set to be paid long after the contract expires – once again to keep the cap hit down to help keep the Dodgers below the luxury tax threshold. It’s doing the owners a massive favour, which on the one hand as a pro-labour person I’m generally against, but on the other hand I can see the appeal as a creative solution to a complex accounting problem in order to maximize a team’s window to win.
The thing I’m not seeing is how this is loaning money back to the employer. The salary Jarvis gets is an annual salary. The bonus structure is just that – a bonus structure. If they found a loophole in the collective agreement to allow Jarvis to get a bonus upon the expiry of the contract that also keeps his cap hit lower but doesn’t materially alter his overall earnings, how is this a loan back to the boss? Furthermore, given that bonuses are taxed differently in the US than in Canada (flat 22%, considered supplemental income rather than part of your salary like we do it here), it’s possible that with this creative accounting, Jarvis comes out slightly ahead.
When we’re dealing with multiple millions, it’s a very different calculation than for most us normal folks who would never see this amount of money in our lives. Would I ever accept deferred salary from my employer? Not a chance – I need every last dollar to live. Housing and children aren’t cheap, especially in the centre of the universe! It would be entirely unfair to ask and insane to agree to it. But if you can afford to defer 400k/year and have it converted into a post-contract bonus that’s taxed at a much lower federal rate than your income (and also live in a relatively tax-friendly state like NC), it doesn’t seem like a bad move to me, especially if the bonus is also guaranteed for injury.
I could also be completely off-base and wrong here. Please feel free to help me see where you’re coming from.
https://www.perplexity.ai/search/at-what-rate-are-professional-4E0axqiaQLm0wGV2Dy2j5Q
Damn…those perplexity links don’t work.
In the US, bonuses are taxed as regular income.
In Canada, there are pending legal cases as to how bonuses will be taxed. https://www.bdo.global/en-gb/insights/tax/expatriate-tax/canada-compensation-planning-for-athletes-under-the-microscope
Answer from perplexity.ai
Based on the search results, the taxation of professional sports bonuses in Canada can be complex, but here are the key points:
Signing Bonus Tax RateSigning bonuses for professional athletes in Canada are typically taxed at a reduced rate of 15% under the Canada-U.S. tax treaty. This is significantly lower than the regular income tax rates, which can be up to 53.5% for high-income earners in Canada.Reasons for Lower Tax Rate on BonusesThe lower tax rate on signing bonuses serves a few purposes:
Residency ConsiderationsHow the bonus is taxed can depend on the player’s residency status:
Current ScrutinyThe Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) has recently been scrutinizing the use of signing bonuses as a tax planning technique. There are pending legal cases that may impact how these bonuses are treated for tax purposes in the future.ExampleAuston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs provides a good example:
It’s important to note that this area of taxation is complex and subject to ongoing legal challenges. Athletes should consult with tax professionals for personalized advice on their specific situations.
So if 92% of Leon’s pay is bonus taxable at 15% assuming he’s resident, I would have liked a lower contract. Apparently Dom says 1M too high
More like 22% when one add provincial income tax as SS said. But there are now cases in court where the government is arguing that this is effectively a salary and not a bonus (i.e. if it quacks like a duck).
Just because it is called a bonus by the NHL and NHLPA, doesn’t mean it will be judged to be a bonus by courts.
Leon’s contract might not be taxed at that 15% rate, as this rate is based on offsets for dual residents according Canada/US tax laws and treaties. Seth Jarvis, a Canadian citizen working in the US (and is therefore considered a US resident but non-citizen for tax purposes) would calculate the tax implications of a sports performance bonus taking that 15% rate into account.
For Leon, being a German citizen, they likely have different tax codes and tax treaties with Canada than the existing Canada/US (but currently under scrutiny for athletes specifically) rules. We’ll see how this plays out with the CRA vs. John Tavares situation in the courts over the next couple of years.
Sorry for the delayed reply here. The AI report is good stuff. Appreciate the posting. I did a bit more digging and found an athlete specific breakdown from RBC. Maybe the link will work? https://ca.rbcwealthmanagement.com/documents/2081581/2081642/Signing_Bonus.pdf/871a358b-3de9-4143-9f82-17c6dee3eac1
But it is effectively very unsecured loans. It is papered to not look like one for legal and tax reasons. eg. Jarvis has a salary of $8 million in year one, but he defers say $2 million to year 9. In reality that $2 million he is getting in year 9 is only worth 1.3 million year 1 discount at 5% per year (close enough to the rate the NHL uses). That is why the NHL only reflects the PV of ~$1.3 million in the cap calculation. If Jarvis hadn’t deferred, they could have just paid him 1.3 million and if he invested it would be worth at least $2 million by year nine with any reasonable investment strategy. I have no idea how Jarvis was convinced to do this. As far as Carolina is concerned, they really are only paying him 7.5 million per season both in CAP AAV and economically.
— Except it’s not at all what you describe. Sheps is correct.
— It’s a legally binding contract whose payment structures and terms have been altered
— Saying it’s a loan is like saying that any contract in the NHL is a loan as the obligation to pay is not up front, rather over a term.
— A deferred salary is not a loan. It just isn’t. Yeah maybe some creditor risk long term a la Mario Lemieux whose employer went insolvent, but it’s a legal binding negotiated contract.
Thanks Kinger. I think you were able to articulate it a bit more clearly than I was.
I find it odd some posts suggesting they paid to much for to long. Should have got it on a discount etc.
Yet 2 weeks ago the same management gets hammered for grinding down Holloway and Broberg. Can’t have it both ways.
Grinding your top prospects to pay your stars more eventually leaves you without top prospects.
And means you keep your stars.
Yes…and they age out until you are the San Jose Sharks.
Weren’t you the one was gushing over Nichushkin getting a longterm contract until he is 35?
Landeskog until he is 36?
MacKinnon until he is 35?
Doughty until he is 37?
I’m also going to look into the future where I can guarantee that you will be wetting your jorts when Matthews signs a long term, very expensive contract that takes him well into his late 30s.
Actually winning a cup tends to inflate values.
However Colorado will have a significant advantage when McDavid signs.
Assumming he signs for $16 million..the top 4 on each team:
McDavid 16 (estimated)
Draisailt 14
Bouchard 10
Nurse 9.25
MacKinnon 12.6
Rantanen 12 (estimated)
Makar 9
Toews 7.25
Oilers 49.25
Avalanche 40.85
Colorado can add an $8 million player or an entire third line with the difference.
Maybe Colorado can spend that $8 million to sign another old player to a retirement contract who can destroy the locker room during the playoffs.
A significant advantage, indeed!
Nichushkin has likely played his last game in Colorado.
When on the rails he was a very effective player.
Are you suggesting the AVs could have predicted his illness?
“When on the rails”
How many other players do you add that qualifier to when talking about their 8 year contract? A contract, which, you spent years saying a GM like Sakic would never do because signing 27 year olds to retirement deals was not good GMing?
So many interpretations of on the rails here…
The man has a mental illness and addiction issues stemming from that.
Sad that you need to use that as justification.
The man has a mental illness and addictions and Colorado decided to give him an 8 year contract anyway.
According to you, Sakic was a model GM for avoiding these pitfalls because he would cut aging players and avoid retirement contracts in favor of younger, cheaper players.
So you can try to twist this as me attacking Nichushkin all you want, but the reality is, this all transpired as it did because Sakic/Colorado walked the path you said they never would. And again, you ended up praising the signing and abandoning your previous views and arguments because.. well, you have no original thoughts or beliefs and just saw someone else call it a good signing and that Sakic can do no wrong. In other words, a fanboy.
Context matters though, right?
Not to HH. Just looking for a buzz to kill. It’s about angles.
is HH now The Great One? If so, his handle properly reflects his ego, even if it improperly reflects most of his comments
His spelling is still atrocious. It SHOULD be The Grate One…
I was referring to the original poster, context matters. Is it not more reasonable to have a little of the top end than shave a little off the bottom end?
— there is no doubt then eventually end up like the Penguins now : just hope McDrai can do some magic like Crosby Malkin.
— Gretz Mess > Lemieux Jagr. So far Crosby Malkin >>> McDrai , but we can hope (in terms of cups)
Yup, its likely 4 guys at near $50MM but, by the time McDavid’s contract kicks in, the cap is scheduled to be at $100MM – not ideal but it should continue to rise materially.
Also, lets not forget, the cap is artificially deflated due to the 2020 MOU extending the CBA – its capped at 5% increased through the end of the CBA (next season) and is currently below 50% of HRR.
McDavid’s next contract will be under the new CBA so 50% of HRR could lead to a cap of well over $100MM and that’s not even factoring in a new Canadian TV deal (or deals).
For all we know, the cap fly’s to over $110MM in two years with the 5% increase cap gone and the new Canadian TV deals (which is likely to be split among many networks and online servcies).
The NHL is a cap efficiency contest.
While what you say is accurate, it applies to ALL teams, teams that structure their payrolls optimally will have competitive advantages.
Spending $50 million on 4 players especially when one of them is significantly overpaid cripples the ability to ice a roster with depth.
As it stands, Ekholm is a value contract as he is the defacto #1LD but in a couple of seasons, he will have to be replaced.
What do you expect will be the cost of a top pairing D at that time?
You mention that McDavid’s next contract will be under the new CBA….do you think McDavid’s agent is unaware of that?
McDavid’s contract will be under the new CBA, and I am sure he is aware of that fact, and will be the highest paid player in the league, but not by much. That act is very much in character for 97. The new cap in the CBA is important though because $16M for McDavid is much more manageable under a cap of 110M, then it would be in a cap of $84M.
While it is a hindrance to carry players that are overpaid, that same player was on the team when we went to the Stanley Cup Finals, as well as an overpaid backup goalie, amongst other inefficient players. Ekholm will be replaced in due time and likely not cost as much as the doom and gloomers forecast. As I recall the price for Ekholm was equitable and fair, and does not seem to have hurt the Oilers too much.
The NHL is a cap efficiency contest, but I would take 97, 29 and 2 for around $40M over taking 5 players for the same amount of money. Anything you pay them is efficient, because they are worth more than the average player, and more than the average superstar.
You’re trying to have it both ways here.
You’re suggesting the rising cap will be a bonanza but it won’t raise the cost of players.
How did you come to the conclusion that McDavid will sign for $16 million?
You also suggest acquiring a #1LD is a trifle but considering the Oilers don’t have one in the prospect pipeline they will have to acquire one through trade (for what?) or in the free agent market.
Recent signings of that stature have been $9 million plus so will likely be well above $10 million under a higher cap.
I’d bet, and I rarely bet, that McDavid signs for 16 or close to. Draisaitl set that bar and McDavid is the kind of guy that won’t want a huge disparity between them.
Friendship counts for a lot, moreso the younger you are, in my experience.
I think it is and it isn’t. As with most things, I believe in a balanced approach. If you are ruthless about salary structure and cap efficiency, you may find yourself with the most efficient $65m roster on the planet that simply doesn’t have the horses to beat the reasonably efficient $85m roster.
In a world where truly gamebreaking talent is the gift of only around a dozen individuals on the planet, you have to pick and choose where to splurge. Some parts have value alternatives, but some parts simply don’t come cheap.
The cap going up doesn’t mean there is more money. Salaries go up as well. There can be short instances when it might seem like it, doesn’t last long
That’s why %ofCAP is the most important metric to discuss when comparing contracts.
It works across any season of the cap era without having to contextualize what the value of the cap was in any given year.
True and it’s getting ugly
Agreed, and has the Oilers strategy in this regard been a Cup winner by other teams?
Its possible to be very happy the deal is done and very happy to have Leon signed for 8 years and still believe the AAV is high for the term and age. Its not “complaining” – its citing an opinion (and one that I’ve had, and been express with, all summer).
I’m so very happy to have this deal done and the next number of years are going to be epic as an Oilers fan!
What your opinion fails to acknowledge is that Edmonton is not in Florida or California or New York or Toronto. It’s a remote city with poor flight connections, less endorsement opportunities, and a media microscope on the players. What the OEG can offer is $ and a chance to win, which is precisely what they leveraged to retain the player.
I don’t fail to acknowledge anything but what you seem to be citing is an opinion that the Oilers have to over-pay vis-a-vis New York or Toronto.
You seem to be acknowledging and agreeing that the contract isn’t “a discount”
Classic lawyerspeak. I bet you’re fun at parties.
Gerry Johansson said the Oilers have been a place players want to play since Connor essentially. Those ‘reasons’ of old aren’t valid anymore. Taxation has been gone over a million times and there isn’t much difference in the end for most teams, commentors here that have lived in the US have said many of those cities are far worse than Edmonton, a small market team with top revenue has better marketing options than most US cities who could care less about hockey……..
Leon said show me the money. The team friendly talk for the 3 contracts didn’t pan out. Unless Leon thinks 14M is, and it definitely is not
Danny Syvret still making plays….
https://www.ctvnews.ca/sports/how-the-john-tavares-tax-case-could-affect-professional-athletes-in-canada-and-the-u-s-1.7023042
Interesting relation to today’s discussion:
Tavares is “a very good example of why players need to surround themselves with the most competent representation”, says an agent who works for the same agency as Dr. Drai. (Octagon)
Neat article. To get it on the record here, A. Walsh says different players have different priorities – winning, a coach they like, it’s not only money
One thing that they don’t mention ever seemingly, is that states with no state income taxes aren’t printing their own money. What they do is tax other things more – often real estate, which might affect a wealthy person more. They have to raise similar amounts of money to function as any other state, right?
Draisaitl has a whole country in Germany for endorsement opportunities.
The wealthy fly in private jets and/or first class.
This is a case where two things can be true. 1) You can love Edmonton and consider it a world class city, and 2) You can still reasonably acknowledge what the city lacks in terms of weather, location, privacy, particularly for athletes not born and raised here.
If I’m a 28 year old multimillionaire, I personally don’t choose to spend my next 9 winters in Edmonton. So I’m beyond impressed when someone like Leon elects to. And I think it’s completely understandable why Edmonton has to pay full costs to retain in this market.
The Oilers tick the contender and culture boxes. That’s their edge and good on them (and Connor) for building that. However denying some of the disadvantages is wearing rose coloured glasses imo.
Good post
Everyone gets a downvote on a great day for the Oilers.
Shame about those sour grapes.
I was going to joke about the double down votes appearing if the Oilers win the Cup.
Turns out it didn’t take that sour of an event to bring out the big guns. 🤷
Leon Draisaitl ranks 5th alltime in playoff points-per-game. Put on a smile and pay him whatever the hell he wants.
Please please please, Leon – just stay healthy for an entire playoff run. He was so banged up the last series, yet playing so much….
Pierre LeBrun:
”Draisaitl contract front-loaded, includes full no-move clause throughout. Both sides agreed to the bigger parts of this deal late last week. Some finishing touches over the weekend. Draisaitl made sure to get a lot of information this summer en route to this massive decision. Wants to win in Edmonton.”
Up front money, not deferred money. Draisaitl has good financial advisors.
He didn’t get “Tulskied”.
I’m very happy this deal is done.
I’ve been very clear in my opinion over the last few months that the “ideal term” for the Oilers is 4-5 years unless the AAV starts to come down a bit for 7-8 years. I mean, in the last 3 years of an 8-year deal Leon will turn 35, 36 and 37 in the first month of the season.
I expect Leon will still be a prominent player in those last three years but its also expected he won’t provide quite the impact of the last few years and the next few years.
At the same time, even though I believe, and will note, that the AAV is high for the 8-year term (Matthews was $13.25MM for full on main prime years – I acknowledge the increasing cap and Matthews will get another big raise), I am VERY happy to have Leon signed and sealed and a career Oiler.
I am one that believes that his last deal was indeed a bit of an overpay at the time he signed. It was at the very top of the market at the time. Yes, I realize he blew that contract out of the water and its been one of the best value contracts in the league over the last few years but that doesn’t change the fact/opinion that it was a slight overpay on the day it was signed.
I think this deal is also a slight overpay – I am extremely happy its done and that he’s signed but I do think its a bit high. I will be tougher to outperform a contract in the 30-38 age range than 22-30 age range but, hell, this is first ballot hall of fame type player – maybe he does!
It’s immaterial that a 5 year deal would have been better value. That’s utopian. There absolutely would have been other teams willing to offer a 7 year term to land an elite 1C. The term past prime is the price you pay to retain stars for the entirety of their career.
I suspect this will be repeated ad nauseam by many.
So just wanted to note that at no point during his newly signed will Draisaitl be 38 years old.
This is factually correct – he turns 37 weeks in to the 8th year and would turn 38 weeks in to his next contract (if there is one) – it takes him to 38.
Huh.
I disagree, but whatever.
The Oilers will be past their cup window in 2031. Cap inefficiencies won’t matter.
As McDavid and Draisaitl go, so do the Oilers.
I care about next year and the year after and 5 years from now and 9 years from now.
Anyone who thinks an elite player that can shop the entire market can be retained on a 5 year term is smoking the drapes. It’s a nice wish but last I checked wishing isn’t a viable strategy.
Auston Matthews disagrees!
Don’t let the pursuit of “perfect” get in the way of achieving the very good.
Truer words never spoken.
I’m not – hence why I saw I’ve very happy to have the deal done and I’m not “complaining about it” – I think the AAV is a bit high, and have the right to note that, but am very happy he’s signed for the next 9 years to be an Oiler.
How often you use the letter ‘I’ makes me chuckle.
It is undoubtedly your favourite letter.
And maybe we should say it’s his 29-38 contract? If he’s 29 before it starts and then 38 just after it ends?
He turns 30 in October of the year the contract kicks in.
Matthews likely signed for less term cos he’s unconvinced Leafs mgmt can build a winner around him. Given that context, it’s very disingenuous to cite that as some pseudo best practice. TO would have undoubtedly got him on a longer term if they could have. Takes two to tango.
Matthews signed for less term because he’ll be early 30s when it expires and able to get another massive pay day.
Drai signed for max term because he really does want to be here, I’m sure but also because, if he signed for 4-5 years, his next deal would likely be less given age.
I am 100% fine with the contract and ecstatic its done.
There is lots of discussion and hand wringing about maximising asset values and exploiting inefficiencies. And maybe they could build a better team with the pieces they would get from trading Draisaitl. But there is no poetry in that.
Having every one of McDavid’s and Draisaitl’s magical moments be with an Oiler sweater, every career highlight with an Oilers crest on their chest, that is truly legendary.
They would have lost any trade involving Draisaitl. That is a 100% fact.
This is a very important point in assessing the contract
After all the years of Oilers stars signing these deals to go play in a new town what a tremendous turn around for the fan base this has been.
Now sign Bouchard at 10 for 8 years and McDavid at 16 for 8 years and bring on the bus of cup chasers.
Congrats to Leon, the OEG, and Oilers fans. First Nuge. Now Leon. Oilers finally keeping their stars. That’s the headline for me.
The UFA deal is the one time in their career the player firmly holds the hammer so I don’t hold out much hope for a ‘discount.’ Retaining a player in this hockey mad northern outpost is the win. Not every NHL player wants the microscope. Fortunately for ETown, we’ve found a core that loves the pressure.
That’s my reaction. First Nuge, now Leon, and likely Connor. All spending their careers here…I don’t know that I even dared to dream it. It means an incredible amount to an old Oilers fan who watched Gretz get sold, Mess get traded for pennies on the dollar, and countless others leave town when the money dried up. No more, we’re losing Weight but Hecht is the first shot shooter we’ve been waiting for…I know that there will be a bill to pay eventually, but my god I want to get the opportunity to pay that bill for a bloody change.
This is fantastic news.
Draisaitl will age like Kopitar, Malkin etc. so while he won’t be elite at the tail end, he will still be a damn good player. And with the cap continuing to increase, it is a great deal for both sides throughout the whole time period of the contract.
— Of the many things I’ve been wrong about Drai number one
— So convinced was I that they should have drafted Bennett and when Drai got sent down I used to call him DasShitty…
— amazing it’s been 10 years since he was picked.
— Don’t like the 8 years but I guess if he and McD age out like Crosby Malkin and win some cups and remain “Oilers for life” pretty hard not to cheer for that.
— He was a goner if the season ended up like it started last year.
GOILERS!!!
Boston is in shambles right now.
Along with Eastern media.
Draisaitl signed.
That’s a huge deal!
Berezokin with assist number one of the KHL season. He can sign come May when his KHL deal expires.
Power move to the net on the PP from the Hyman spot and rebound cashed.
Hard to overstate how important this deal was for the Oilers and the city. I will not complain for a second about it being 14 when it could have been 13.5, yada yada.
Simply couldn’t risk not getting this signed, and going into the season with it hanging there. Too many risks. Get it done, it exponentially increases your odds of keeping McDavid which is the ultimate ultimate goal, and then from there, everything else will fall into place.
The cap is rising year over year, the Oilers just signed one of the very best players in the league to an 8 year deal (something TO couldn’t even do with Matthews) and this northern outpost shows that it is not just a launching point to the dazzling lights of bigger markets. Get good players, keep good players!!
Props to Oil Country as well – if it wasn’t for our crazy, diehard fans and how we show up, Draisaitl wouldn’t love it here as much as he does. Proud to be an Oilers fan and an Edmontonian today.
I’m going to have a beer.
Hot damn this is exciting!