Confirmed with Link: Draisaitl re-signs 8y 8.5M AAV

[StupidGenius]

I'm late to the party, but I'd like to celebrate thusly:

Forgot About Drai
Y'all know me, drafted back in '14, but I been low-key
Hated on by most D pairings with no reads
No steals and no speed, no wheels and blown knees
No hope, no chirps or beaks durin' my cellies
Mad at me, cuz I can find McD
With a pass so sick you could swear I cheat
Got a bod like a Panzer, and it's all full of bräts
Stealing pucks off the walls, sniping shots
Hanging out in my office in front of your net, that's MY crease
Y'all think I'ma product of Hallsy? Oh, please!
Better review those game sheets
Who you think brought y'all out your seats?
Who still thinks we're a one-line team?
PPG, playoff star on an ELC, OT GWG's
And the team that said "Motha**** draft lotteries!"
Gave you a year full of dope feeds
To score as many goals as you could
And when your goalless drought wasn't doing too good
Who's the German they told you to go see?
Y'all better listen up closely
All you posters that said that I'm second best or I needed rest
Y'all are the reason that Drai ain't been getting no sleep
So watch y'all, all of y'all! If y'all can stop me, show me!
Y'all are gonna keep watching Connor and me
Set fire to the whole league

Nowadays, everybody wanna talk
Like Connor's the only guy
But nothin' comes out when they move their lips
As they slowly come to grips
That mother****ers lost 'cause they forgot about Drai

 

[Deplorable Lenny]

If they're paying him to center his own line then fine, I can live with it. If they're paying him to be McDavids winger then it's stupid.

They are paying him to be versatile and play center or wing depending on what's needed at that time.

If he lights it up on McDavids wing, great! If he centers his own line, Awesome! It really doesn't matter as long as he does well and the team wins.

Tmac loves forwards who can play wing and center and if the team is better when he is on the first line with McDavid then what difference does it make?

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

They are paying him to be versatile and play center or wing depending on what's needed at that time.

If he lights it up on McDavids wing, great! If he centers his own line, Awesome! It really doesn't matter as long as he does well and the team wins.

Tmac loves forwards who can play wing and center and if the team is better when he is on the first line with McDavid then what difference does it make?

They shouldn't need him to light it up with McDavid because if you stack the top line there isn't much behind it that can pick up the slack.

 

[Deplorable Lenny]

They shouldn't need him to light it up with McDavid because if you stack the top line there isn't much behind it that can pick up the slack.

Again, if that's what's needed to win and they win it doesn't matter! Sometimes a teams 2 best players play together, other times they are separated for defensive match ups and whatnot. They can both work depending on the rest of the team chemistry.

I see no reason to say he must center his own line if they continue to dominate and the team gets secondary scoring elsewhere.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

Again, if that's what's needed to win and they win it doesn't matter! Sometimes a teams 2 best players play together, other times they are separated for defensive match ups and whatnot. They can both work depending on the rest of the team chemistry.

I see no reason to say he must center his own line if they continue to dominate and the team gets secondary scoring elsewhere.

It's fine to stack the top line if you're a deep team. The Oilers are not deep. You're basically hoping that the opposition can't shut down the only scoring line at that point. Who else is going to pick up the slack?

 

[Deplorable Lenny]

It's fine to stack the top line if you're a deep team. The Oilers are not deep. You're basically hoping that the opposition can't shut down the only scoring line at that point. Who else is going to pick up the slack?

Strome Nuge Jokinen and Lucic have all scored 50 or more points at least once in the last 2-3 seasons. Jokinen is the only one over 30. I know you don't think we have depth but we do. Also I strongly beleive that Pulujarvi will have a similar 2nd yeah to Draisaitls. He has too much skill to not breakout IMO but I guess we will see.

There is no reason to split up drai and McDavid if keeping them together gives them the best chance to win. I'm not saying that they need to play together. I'll leave that up to the coaches and trust that they know what they are doing.

Saying in August how the lines have to be without even playing an exhibition game or practicing together is far too premature.

 

[Mcnotloilersfan]

It's fine to stack the top line if you're a deep team. The Oilers are not deep. You're basically hoping that the opposition can't shut down the only scoring line at that point. Who else is going to pick up the slack?

RNH, Lucic, Puljujarvi, Strome, Jokinen, Kassian, Cagguila, Slepyslev and Letestu is actually pretty solid depth in the lineup.

 

[rboomercat90]

see that's the attitude I can't fathom.
you just can't say "money is secondary, the rest will work itself out."
there is a salary cap. If you just throw money around and hope it will work itself out you'll likely be screwed.

you sound like the Justin trudeau of the board.
remember when he said
"the commitment needs to be a commitment to grow the economy and the budget will balance itself"?

maybe we can change that to "the commitment needs to be a commitment to grow the team and the salary cap will take care of itself"

not meaning to dig at you personally, but the oilers really have to watch the dimes and nickels, and I think they paid at least $500,000 too much. it all adds up.

Some insults are unforgivable.

 

[rboomercat90]

Signing McDavid and Drai to contracts a little high, is way better then signing bottom 6 players a little high. We are spending to the cap no matter what, hell when we finished 30th place we were a cap team. The cap will continue to go up every year.

We are set here now with 2 elite players signed, and top 4 dmen signed. Every good team is in cap hell, its something that is over exaggerated. The most important part of this organization going forward will be drafting.

Very well put. The important thing is we have two elite players signed for 8 more years. These are two players (in addition to Larsson and Klefbom) that you can build a very good team around. Maybe I wouldn't feel as confident if I hadn't just seen Pittsburgh win two Stanley Cups with mediocre players around Crosby and Malkin. They've shown it can be done. Now it's up to Chiarelli to put that team together.

 

[Deplorable Lenny]

RNH, Lucic, Puljujarvi, Strome, Jokinen, Kassian, Cagguila, Slepyslev and Letestu is actually pretty solid depth in the lineup.

Yeah I'm pretty happy about the depth going into next season. Its not great but its very good IMO.

Especially considering how much cap space they have next season. We should be very active at the deadline and have plenty of assets to get some real good depth going into the playoffs.

Of course some people here think that having 6-7 potential 50 point scorers up front is a bad thing and that none of our players can get better they can only get worse.

 

[HockeyAndWings]

A bit overpaid. Draisaitl should've got around 7M per for 8 years.

 

[John Connor McDavid]

I wonder if Game 6 vs ANA never happened if he would be taking $7M per

 

[Jimmi McJenkins]

I wonder if Game 6 vs ANA never happened if he would be taking $7M per

Probably not.

 

[Senor Catface]

I wonder if Game 6 vs ANA never happened if he would be taking $7M per

If the playoffs were a big factor in the contract, it was due to him being 8th in playoff scoring, even though he didn't get any 3rd and 4th round games.

That really frames how good his run was.

Not one game.

 

[Eyeseeing]

Winnipeg fan
Congrats a good signing.
Nice to see the times change for you.
Cheering for your Pacific title.
Would love to meet you in the WCF
Best of luck and no injuries

 

[The Rainman]

No

Why would you even consider talking about trading a big talented horse for a whining pygmy. You fans should just embrace the fact that you have two great talents to build around. It was a great signing. Sure guys like RNH will have to be moved but so what. Good luck and have a fun year watching these guys.

 

[Perfect_Drug]

It's fine to stack the top line if you're a deep team. The Oilers are not deep. You're basically hoping that the opposition can't shut down the only scoring line at that point. Who else is going to pick up the slack?

Actually if I recall, Anaheim and the refs were doing a masterful job of shutting them down.

We actually had to separate them to get one of them (Drai) away from the suffocating defense.

 

[OilersaretheMcBest]

I'm late to the party, but I'd like to celebrate thusly:

Send that to a Radio Station Asap

 

[shoop]

Some insults are unforgivable.

Well played sir. Well played.

 

[NeverForget06]

If Drai sucks and can't produce points we are screwed regardless of the deal being 8.5, 7 or heck even 6.5 million. This contract was always going to be a bit of a gamble. Don't say that a bridge deal could have been a safer play either, because that could have blow up in our face as well if he did produce and then wanted 10 million.

 

[JarvisFunk]

If Drai sucks and can't produce points we are screwed regardless of the deal being 8.5, 7 or heck even 6.5 million. This contract was always going to be a bit of a gamble. Don't say that a bridge deal could have been a safer play either, because that could have blow up in our face as well if he did produce and then wanted 10 million.

All Drai had to do to warrant 10 mil after a bridge would be to simply maintain the level of play he showed last year.

If he improved on that, we wouldve been totally screwed and he'd be asking 10+ easily.

 

[Samus44]

I don't know, Johansen is one of my favorite players but Draisaitl just outscored his best regular season and playoffs by a bit.

McDavid did not bounce pucks off Draisaitl this year, he earned his points.

Also, he is 21 .... and last season he was on pace for just below 60 pts (72 GP).


Let's see what happens this season, but I bet he will again be close to or above Johansen in scoring while being 3 years younger.

So you don't think Johansen scores more points with McDavid? Because i sure do. I too think Draisaitl will score a bit more than Johansen but you never know, Johansen puts up 60+ pretty much every year and put up a similar season at 21 with 71 points and he hasn't duplicated that yet. However Johansen also plays center with less help against the other teams best. Draisaitl either plays with McDavid as a winger, and he scored at a much better pace with him, or he plays secondary competition. I love Draisaitl but no way he had more leverage than Johansen, RFA years and resume are supposed to be big factors. Again Draisaitl shouldn't be top 10 in salary, it's not reasonable. I'm not losing hair or sleep over it but he was given too much in relation to his peers.

 

[Del Preston]

Winnipeg fan
Congrats a good signing.
Nice to see the times change for you.
Cheering for your Pacific title.
Would love to meet you in the WCF
Best of luck and no injuries

Jets - Oilers would be a great series.

 

[Bryanbryoil]

If they're paying him to center his own line then fine, I can live with it. If they're paying him to be McDavids winger then it's stupid.

Maybe they move Nuge to his line and then move Drai to center his own? For Drai's pay grade he should most definitely be carrying his own line, he wanted that contract, now it's his turn to carry a line.

Lucic-McDavid-RNH
Maroon-Draisaitl-Slepyshev
Jokinen-Strome-Puljujarvi
Caggiula-Letestu-Kassian

The top line consists of our two $6 million men so that we will not inflate the hell out of Maroon's, Caggiula's or Slepyshev's worth unless the top line sucks and we have to shuffle the deck.

Maroon still gets to play with a high end center so that he doesn't feel slighted by not playing with Connor in a contract year. Slepyshev gets a big push ahead of Puljujarvi since he has paid his dues and shown more at the NH level so far.

Strome gets to play his natural position and has 2 solid wingers to dish the puck to. He may want to brush up on his Finnish though!

Some may think that I'm burying Caggiula on the 4th line, that said it is a solid 4th line and he could work his way up at any time.

 

[shoop]

Maybe they move Nuge to his line and then move Drai to center his own? For Drai's pay grade he should most definitely be carrying his own line, he wanted that contract, now it's his turn to carry a line.

Lucic-McDavid-RNH
Maroon-Draisaitl-Slepyshev
Jokinen-Strome-Puljujarvi
Caggiula-Letestu-Kassian

The top line consists of our two $6 million men so that we will not inflate the hell out of Maroon's, Caggiula's or Slepyshev's worth unless the top line sucks and we have to shuffle the deck.

Maroon still gets to play with a high end center so that he doesn't feel slighted by not playing with Connor in a contract year. Slepyshev gets a big push ahead of Puljujarvi since he has paid his dues and shown more at the NH level so far.

Strome gets to play his natural position and has 2 solid wingers to dish the puck to. He may want to brush up on his Finnish though!

Some may think that I'm burying Caggiula on the 4th line, that said it is a solid 4th line and he could work his way up at any time.

I think that's pretty good. Might be the way to start the season.

Once Pulju is acclimated I would like to switch Drai and Strome.