The Edmonton Oilers have signed star centre Leon Draisaitl to an eight-year contract extension with an average annual value of US$14 million.
“This is a historic day for the Edmonton Oilers,” said executive vice president of hockey operations and general manager Stan Bowman, in a news release Tuesday. “Leon’s commitment to our team, our city and Oilers fans everywhere cannot be overstated. His desire to help bring a Stanley Cup title home to Edmonton is central to everything he does both on and off the ice.”
The contract will give him the highest cap hit in NHL history.
Draisaitl and Bowman are scheduled to hold an online news conference via Zoom at 11:30 a.m.
Draisaitl was drafted third overall in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. In 719 regular season games with the Edmonton Oilers, the Cologne, Germany native has notched 347 goals, 503 assists, and 850 career points, making him the sixth-highest-scoring Oiler.
More to come.
Bookmark our website and support our journalism: Don’t miss the news you need to know — add EdmontonJournal.com and EdmontonSun.com to your bookmarks and sign up for our newsletters here.
You can also support our journalism by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribers gain unlimited access to The Edmonton Journal, Edmonton Sun, National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites. Support us by subscribing today: The Edmonton Journal | The Edmonton Sun.