Leon Draisaitl signs record-breaking contract with the Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers have signed star center Leon Draisaitl to an eight-year contract extension, the team announced Tuesday. The contract is worth an average of $14 million per year, making it the highest in NHL history.
Draisaitl had a stellar season last year, playing in 81 games and scoring 41 goals with 65 assists, totaling 106 points. He added another 10 goals and 21 assists in 25 playoff games, helping the Oilers reach the Stanley Cup final for the first time since 2006. He was set to become an unrestricted free agent next summer.
Draisaitl previously signed an eight-year, $68 million contract extension in August 2017, which turned out to be one of the best deals in the NHL. That contract, with an annual cap hit of $8.5 million, expires after the 2024-25 season.
The 28-year-old center has scored 347 goals and 503 assists for 850 points in 719 regular-season games since being drafted third overall in 2014.
Draisaitl led the league in scoring with 110 points (43 goals, 67 assists) in 71 games during the 2019-20 season, which was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. He won the Art Ross Trophy for leading the league in points and also received the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP and the Ted Lindsay Award for most outstanding player, as voted by his peers.
Draisaitl has six 100-point seasons under his belt, along with an 84-point season during the shortened 2020-21 campaign. He recorded a career-best 128 points in the 2022-23 season, when teammate Connor McDavid led the league with 153 points.
The Oilers struggled to build the right team around Draisaitl and McDavid but made progress by reaching the 2022 Western Conference final before losing to the Colorado Avalanche, who went on to win the Stanley Cup. Edmonton then lost in the second round the following year to the Vegas Golden Knights, who also won the Cup, and fell in this year's final to the Florida Panthers after defeating the Los Angeles Kings, Vancouver Canucks, and Dallas Stars.
McDavid's current contract, with a $12.5 million cap hit, runs through the 2025-26 season.
Watch Leon Draisaitl meet with the media below:
Credit: SportsnetOilers sign Draisaitl to eight-year deal with $14M AAV
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3 SEPTEMBRE | 79 ANSWERS Leon Draisaitl signs record-breaking contract with the Edmonton Oilers Do you think Leon Draisaitl deserves that contract with the Edmonton Oilers? | ||
| Yes | 47 | 59.5 % |
| No | 32 | 40.5 % |
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