The wait is over the the future is secured.
And it looks like the Edmonton Oilers Stanley Cup window will be open for a lot longer now that Leon Draisaitl has locked in for eight more years.
Draisaitl’s freshly-minted contract extension, which has an average annual value of $14 million per year — the largest deal in NHL history — puts to rest any fear in Edmonton that the 28-year-old superstar might be playing out his final season with the Oilers.
“This is an historic day for the Edmonton Oilers,” said executive vice president of hockey operations and general manager Stan Bowman.
“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.”
That Draisaitl, who would have been eligible for unrestricted free agency next summer, is committing long-term to the Oilers is a massive sigh of relief for the city and the franchise. And while he and captain Connor McDavid aren’t joined at the hip, you have to think that Draisaitl’s decision is based partly on knowing that McDavid plans to lock in here as well when his term is up in two years.
Draisaitl had some very attractive options had he decided to play out his final season and explore unrestricted free agency. There are some good teams in some great cities that would have opened the door and emptied their wallets for him, but he wanted to stay in Edmonton and finish what he started here nine years ago.
It represents a seismic shift in how the city and the organization are viewed in the eyes of the NHL. Edmonton was once a place that free agents would rather avoid, but an opportunity to win, state-of-the-art facilities and a playoff atmosphere that is second to none in all of sports has superstars locking in for the long term and established veterans coming here on discount deals.
Draisaitl was Edmonton’s first-round selection (third overall) in the 2014 NHL draft and already ranks near the top of several all-time Oilers lists.
Over 719 career regular-season games (ninth in franchise history) the native of Cologne, Germany, has 347 goals (fifth) and 503 assists (fifth) for 850 points (sixth).
Draisaitl has also recorded 146 power-play goals (first), 296 power-play points (third), 61 game-winning goals (fourth), 57 multi-goal games (fifth) and 239 multi-point games (sixth).
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More to come.
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