Confirmed Signing with Link: [EDM] F Leon Draisaitl signs extension with the Oilers (8 years, $14M AAV; begins 2025-26)

[Half Clapper]

I'm not sure why the decline would come when the cap is going to continue to go up as well. Bouchard probably gets 10M, if he continues what he did last year. The core of the team will be locked up until their careers are over, and yes, that will eat up a ton of our space, but after Bouchard extends, and hopefully McDavid does as well, we only have to worry about Skinner's next contract, and filling out the team around them. I expect that the Oilers will be able to do well in free agency for a few years still. Like every other team, it will all depend on how they bring in support players to fill out the roster with the core locked in place.

Hopefully staying long term - Bouchard and McDavid, possibly S. Skinner (2 years, then UFA)
Locked in long term - Draisaitl, Hyman, Nugent Hopkins, Nurse (bad contract)

I don't think a team in the league wouldn't be happy with that core locked up for the next 4 year+. Only Nurse's deal is an issue. You fill the spots around those guys as you can, because that's enough to be a very good team and remain a contender for a long time if our GM doesn't completely shit the bed with building the future and finding quality, affordable role players.

I think McDavid, Bouchard and Skinner will resign. But the best way to find quality players for cheap is through the draft and the Oilers have sadly failed at this so far. You can only get so much from free agency and you usually have to overpay to get these guys. Also, your GM hasn't had the greatest track record in the past 8 years. He made quite a few bone head moves.

Roster in 2026-27

Hyman(34) - Mcdavid(29) - TBD
Nuge(35) - Drai(30) - TBD
TBD - Janmark(33) - TBD
TBD - TBD - TBD

TBD - Bouchard(26)
Nurse(31) - TBD
TBD - TBD


Skinner(27)
TBD

 

[BHawk21]

oilers had to make this move. They couldnt let him walk. They would have nothing after next year. Even if things go way south they still have a superstar if Connor moves on.

 

[thekernel]

From a romantic point of view, of course this makes sense for the Oilers. That's your 2 in your 1-2 punch, that's a guy you put on the posters, that's an A in your leadership group. Has spent his entire adult life in your organization etc... how can you not?

But from a coldly pragmatic point of view, imagine how much better they could be if they flipped him, like imagine if they were as ruthless about it as Florida. Leon wouldn't be worth 14m on most teams, so why not cash him in at that value? If Huberdeau can land a Tkachuk, one wonders what Draisaitl could have fetched...

 

[McVespa99]

~30% of the Oilers cap will be taken up by 2 players next year.

LOL

30% of the Oilers cap will be taken up by 2 of the top 5 best players in the league next year.
LOL

 

[danisonfire]

The dollar figure is totally earned and expected. We will see with time how it plays out cap wise with the rounding out of the rest of the lineup. I don't know enough about Edmonton's contracts to comment beyond that. I want to see McDavid win at least once.

 

[BleedBlue14]

Sure. But people talking about Bouchards mega deal as a hindrance is funny since he hasn't signed anything and we don't actually know what the deal will be.

I mean you can get a pretty rough estimate based off of what the other guys in a similar tier have gotten and then include a bit of a rise due to the cap rising and it's not that hard to figure about where it will fall in line.

He's in the category of player after last season that he's going to get a max term contract. He's also probably going to be the highest paid defenseman given the cap rising as well in that mold.

I guess if he wanted to he could go the Makar route and take a couple of years left to get a bigger 2nd contract. I'm not sure he's the type of player that should be doing that though.

I don't think anyone is saying that his deal is going to be a hindrance. I think the valid question is how do the Oilers year after year supplement their top 6 and Bouchard with limited cap space. He's a guy they should sign but regardless they're going to be extremely top heavy as to nobody's surprise.

 

[McFlyingV]

That's a three year sample size. His most common linemates other than #97 over that period of time were Hyman, RNH and Kane. Those are top six players.

Actually his 3 most common were Hyman, Yamamoto, and Kane when you take out McDavid. Yamamoto is barely an NHL player. Foegele was his line-mate nearly as much as RNH. His time spent with Hyman is almost exclusively when playing on a line with McDavid+Hyman. So in reality he spent next to zero time with Hyman as his winger. He got a mix of Yamamoto, Kane, Nuge, and Foegele. Kane's style has never really meshed with him and he has been a shell of himself the past 2 seasons going through a horrific wrist laceration surgery and playing through a sports hernia all last season.

Context matters.

Ya exactly my point.

What point are you making though? No other superstar centre in the league plays the majority of his time with bottom 6 wingers.

 

[White Out 902]

Cap will be 96mil or higher when McDavid's contract kicks in, and will likely be closer to 110mil by the time his contract is 3 years old. It's kind of comical that people choose to ignore projected cap when looking at newly signed deals. You guys say this same shit about every big deal signed.

McDavid is 27 years old and Drai is 28.

The window isn't 'opening'. They're in the middle of their prime years. Who cares what the cap will be in 5 years when they're declining and eating up tens of millions of dollars when the cap MAY be higher.

 

[McVespa99]

And people claimed MacKinnon at $12.6 million wasn't a discount.

It wasn't

 

[TheSuperElite]

McDrai locked up for one of the top two fanbases in the league. Congrats, fellow Oilers fans.

 

[Duke74]

View attachment 904763

He shows up when it matters, that is for sure!

Convenient to ignore broken ribs and a broken finger. Speaking of playoff ghosts, how is Auston's tummy feeling these days? Hopefully the captaincy isn't too much for him to stomach...

 

[Zalos]

McDavid and Draisaitl have been carrying this team deeper and deeper into the playoffs every year, while dominating in the regular season. Still, there has to be people in this thread trying to argue this is a bad move by Edmonton or that Draisaitl is simply not good enough. Got to love hockey fans who live in a different reality!

Great signing. It was always clear in my head that the fantastic duo would remain in Edmonton for most, if not all, of their careers. I'll be cheering for them to at least win a Cup. Happy for the Oilers fans!

 

[Curufinwe]

It wasn't

He could have got 13.

 

[Czechboy]

Yesterday on HF.. drai will leave eventually with McD and you guys are f***ed

Today on HF after drai signs... Oilers are f***ed, he sucks and it's too much money.

Feels like a lot of posters are acting like the season will start with drai at 14, McD at 20, bouch at 10.

Reality is much different.


McD at 12.5
Drai at 8.5
Bouch at 3.9

That is this season coming up. The scenario people are pointing out is 2 seasons from now.

 

[Curufinwe]

McDavid and Draisaitl have been carrying this team deeper and deeper into the playoffs every year, while dominating in the regular season. Still, there has to be people in this thread trying to argue this is a bad move by Edmonton or that Draisaitl is simply not good enough. Got to love hockey fans who live in a different reality!

Great signing. It was always clear in my head that the fantastic duo would remain in Edmonton for most, if not all, of their careers. I'll be cheering for them to at least win a Cup. Happy for the Oilers fans!

Nah man. I prefer having a team with no player making even $9m that has the 7th worst record in the league since Covid.

NHL Stats

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[GirardSpinorama]

Actually his 3 most common were Hyman, Yamamoto, and Kane when you take out McDavid. Yamamoto is barely an NHL player. Foegele was his line-mate nearly as much as RNH. His time spent with Hyman is almost exclusively when playing on a line with McDavid+Hyman. So in reality he spent next to zero time with Hyman as his winger. He got a mix of Yamamoto, Kane, Nuge, and Foegele. Kane's style has never really meshed with him and he has been a shell of himself the past 2 seasons going through a horrific wrist laceration surgery and playing through a sports hernia all last season.

Context matters.


What point are you making though? No other superstar centre in the league plays the majority of his time with bottom 6 wingers.

My first post was sarcastic.. obviously drai can carry a line.

 

[Coffey]

one wonders what Draisaitl could have fetched...

I don't want to know.
In the last 5 years he is top 2 in regular season points and top 3 in playoffs.
It would have been a downgrade regardless.

 

[GirardSpinorama]

It wasn't

Oh it certainly is. Mack only asked for a nominal 100k over McDavid. Drai is now a significant 1.4M over Mack's deal while being the lessor player.

 

[roon]

The Oilers are about to have 28 million + tied up in 2 forwards. They are going to need to Cap to go up significantly.

 

[White Out 902]

Yesterday on HF.. drai will leave eventually with McD and you guys are f***ed

Today on HF after drai signs... Oilers are f***ed, he sucks and it's too much money.

Feels like a lot of posters are acting like the season will start with drai at 14, McD at 20, bouch at 10.

Reality is much different.


McD at 12.5
Drai at 8.5
Bouch at 3.9

That is this season coming up. The scenario people are pointing out is 2 seasons from now.

who cares about the majority of the unlettered opinions that have been spewed.

the reality is that the oilers have 2-3 seasons left of prime mcdrai. tops. forwards begin to drop off at 30, and mcdavid is, last i checked, still human.

the oilers pissed away their best chances to win a cup with having them on lower AAV's. They aren't up shits creek yet, they still have 2-3 years, as I said, before time catches up with mcdrai.

In other words, the oilers have already had their best shot at the cup, and their odds drop off each year. its hard to get to the finals. most people with any hockey iq or having followed the game know this was either going to be the oilers imploding their team, or, cap jail in 4 years time for a few season of hell to take a low % shot at a cup. either way, damage was done.

and for a team with the gm they hired, kane, and other motley crew of losers and jerks, this is a great look.

 

[McFlyingV]

McDavid is 27 years old and Drai is 28.

The window isn't 'opening'. They're in the middle of their prime years. Who cares what the cap will be in 5 years when they're declining and eating up tens of millions of dollars when the cap MAY be higher.

I make no mention of a window "opening", but for some reason you do. I mention 3 years when McDavid's extension would kick in, you say who cares about 5 years from now. Great post bud.

 

[BigGoalBrad]

They only pay an Edmonton/Canada tax on Nurse and his buyout will cover the raises for McDavid and Drai next summer. Good deal for the Oil crazy he’s willing to live there his entire career.

 

[McHelpus]

McDavid is 27 years old and Drai is 28.

The window isn't 'opening'. They're in the middle of their prime years. Who cares what the cap will be in 5 years when they're declining and eating up tens of millions of dollars when the cap MAY be higher.

The Jets will be paying Mark Scheifele 8.5 million dollars until he is 38 years old.

 

[McFlyingV]

who cares about the majority of the unlettered opinions that have been spewed.

the reality is that the oilers have 2-3 seasons left of prime mcdrai. tops. forwards begin to drop off at 30, and mcdavid is, last i checked, still human.

the oilers pissed away their best chances to win a cup with having them on lower AAV's. They aren't up shits creek yet, they still have 2-3 years, as I said, before time catches up with mcdrai.

In other words, the oilers have already had their best shot at the cup, and their odds drop off each year. its hard to get to the finals. most people with any hockey iq or having followed the game know this was either going to be the oilers imploding their team, or, cap jail in 4 years time for a few season of hell to take a low % shot at a cup. either way, damage was done.

and for a team with the gm they hired, kane, and other motley crew of losers and jerks, this is a great look.

Lemieux and Gretzky both won Art Ross trophies in their 30s. Lemieux put up 76 points in 43 games at the age of 35 after not playing hockey for 3 years.

I think you're going to be extremely disappointed with how McDavid ages.

 

[White Out 902]

I make no mention of a window "opening", but for some reason you do. I mention 3 years when McDavid's extension would kick in, you say who cares about 5 years from now. Great post bud.

I'm responding to your wishcasting that the cap will go up to eat up the giant anchor like contracts the oilers will be finding themselves in, and gently informing you the damage is already done. your team has already lost its best chance at winning.

Crosby at McDavids age already had 3 cups.