He signed for 2 years and he's doing the team a favor. He knows they don't have much of a chance to do it 3x in a row and they may be lucky to get to round 2. He is being nice to the team so they can still get something for him when he says "I'm done here". I would not be surprised if that is summer 2026.
After this year he has term with a team friendly AAV which makes it easier for the Oilers to trade him to wherever he wants without the team having to jettison too much to make the Cap work. A key player will have to go back and picks and prospects too. But maybe the Leafs (we all know that is his preferred destination) can keep most of their roster together when they trade for him next summer.
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