Edmonton is No Good XI: Mud, Sweatpants and Tiers

[EldrickOnIce]

I think Drai would settle for 15x8 in Edmonton
Would be close to league max x 7 if UFA this summer

[CaptainCrunch]

The temptation for both players is for Draisaitl to sit back and see who starts clearing cap space for him this year, and see what's interesting.



Same with McDavid next year, and teams will be blatent in dropping cap space for both.


Both of those players have the keys to the kingdom in terms of earning and going to a situation where they want to go.

[OldDutch]

You don't win a cup with players on the pay me side of their career. Look at Chicago. Oilers had plenty of chance to win, and face planted. Next year will be it and all, if Draisaitl isn't traded by deadline, he'll walk in the summer.

[The Fonz]

Draisaitl has outperformed his current contract by $20M+, and Staples figures he should take another hometown discount?

LOL. I expect Draisaitl and his agent will be extracting every last dollar on this next contract.

[Bubba17]

Originally Posted by Slava

I think fans fail to recognize that this is a job for players, just like any other job for any other employee. There is no way that you're taking a 20-25% haircut on your salary just to be a nice guy!

If any fans realized this it won't be Oiler fans. The last time the Oil had all the superstar players they left because Sather/Pocklington wouldn't pay them. Coffey held out until he was traded. Wayne went next, Messier/Lowe/Kurri etc., finally had enough of not getting their worth and all left ASAP. It is a job for them.

If they win on the first of even second contract of the players they are all happy, but once they are getting into FA then it is all about money, even if they have won (see Chicago with Kane/Toews group - no hometown discounts).

[Roof-Daddy]

I hope they give Drai the max contract and then McDavid walks in 2026.

Then they have a McDavidless Draisaitl making $15~ million per year from 30-38 years old.

[TrentCrimmIndependent]

Staples isn't very good at putting himself in the shoes of a high profile player that is sought after by 32 teams and could name his price and location.

Because with every option under the sun he'll stay in canada's Siberia to continue to be underpaid for the joy and benefit of oilers fans, because that's where his priorities are.

Lol good lord.

[calumniate]

This crappy edmonton is no good title almost got us into trouble, but Bennett and Chucky overcame the adversity

[TrentCrimmIndependent]

It's also one of the oldest teams in the league and the cost of staying for "a few more runs" is a worse supporting cast including guys well into their back 9.

Their chances do not improve or stay the same beyond the short term given the core's age.

[EldrickOnIce]

Originally Posted by Roof-Daddy

I hope they give Drai the max contract and then McDavid walks in 2026.

Then they have a McDavidless Draisaitl making $15~ million per year from 30-38 years old.

Max contract for 24/25 is $17.6M

[Roof-Daddy]

Originally Posted by EldrickOnIce

Max contract for 24/25 is $17.6M

Even better

[Winsor_Pilates]

Draisaitl is leaving.
He'd be absolutely stupid to stay there his whole career.

You have to think they also see a guy like Tkachuk leaving Calgary, living on a beach and winning the cup & think why him and not me?
Especially being in Edmonton, the grass can look a lot greener elsewhere.

[Toonage]

^ 100% this.

They literally just watched the blueprint play out in front of them.

[The Fonz]

McDavid & Drai watching the Flames highest ever picks Bennett & Tkachuk drinking out of the Stanley Cup on a beach in Florida. Might be the nail in the coffin.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by Bubba17

If any fans realized this it won't be Oiler fans. The last time the Oil had all the superstar players they left because Sather/Pocklington wouldn't pay them. Coffey held out until he was traded. Wayne went next, Messier/Lowe/Kurri etc., finally had enough of not getting their worth and all left ASAP. It is a job for them.

If they win on the first of even second contract of the players they are all happy, but once they are getting into FA then it is all about money, even if they have won (see Chicago with Kane/Toews group - no hometown discounts).

And in all honesty, can you really blame players/agents here? They have a limited career, so clearly they need to earn as much as possible during that time. And sure, to the average guy it's a crazy amount of money and "they could do it for less", but there is no incentive to do that.

Originally Posted by Roof-Daddy

I hope they give Drai the max contract and then McDavid walks in 2026.

Then they have a McDavidless Draisaitl making $15~ million per year from 30-38 years old.

Paying them insane money for those years does make me hope they manage to keep these guys in a small way!

[Buff]

Originally Posted by Roof-Daddy

I hope they give Drai the max contract and then McDavid walks in 2026.

Then they have a McDavidless Draisaitl making $15~ million per year from 30-38 years old.

Draisaitl is an 85-95 point guy without McDavid on his team. Maybe even having a surge year and getting 100.

A 30-38 year old Draisaitl without McDavid? Near the end of that contract he would look terrible.

[CaptainCrunch]

That first UFA contract for players is huge, and it hits in their prime to subprime years of about 28 to 35, and they have to make bank because for a lot of them its the last contract they'll sign, or their next one is a lot smaller.


While the lure of winning with your current team is certainly there. Superstar players like Draisaitl and McDavid have big enough ego's to think that they can win anywhere and have big dollars.


The players that usually stay and take a home town discount in their UFA years, are the middle of the road players, that the team can get complete loyalty from.

[butterfly]

Originally Posted by Slava

Paying them insane money for those years does make me hope they manage to keep these guys in a small way!

In a big way. They won a game in the conference finals once with them both in their primes and making what they are now.

I'd love for them to pay far more for their decline years.

[Roof-Daddy]

Originally Posted by Buff

Draisaitl is an 85-95 point guy without McDavid on his team. Maybe even having a surge year and getting 100.

A 30-38 year old Draisaitl without McDavid? Near the end of that contract he would look terrible.

I know.

It would be awesome

[Boreal]

Do the Oilers buy out Campbell?

If not are they trading a first to dump him?

The cap is going up 5% 2025/26 (escalator clause as mentioned by Elliott Friedman) so it will be around $92M.

They are in cap jail & will remain so if they resign the two studs.

They don’t want to admit it, but the only time to maximize the asset of both of them via trade is right now, on those contracts.

They would receive an insane bounty, but it will not happen.