[Signing] Oilers extend F Leon Draisaitl (8x$14M AAV)

[kyuss275]

I am very surprised he chose to stay in Edmonton. He was getting paid regardless.

[Ozy_Flame]

Good on Draisaitl. Get that bag. I don't care where he plays IMO, wish he was on our team for when we are contending for the cup.

[TheIronMaiden]

I hate to say it but I don't think that contract will age that poorly. He is 28, and will be 36 (37?) when it is done. Lots of players at his size and skill still contribute well at that age.

[stemit14]

That is a huge cap hit. Yikes. He had them cornered so it’s not like they had any negotiating power.

Still believing in Dissentower that McDavid will leave anyways in 2026. Will make it even funnier that Draisaitl is left there without McDavid.

[jg13]

Originally Posted by TheIronMaiden

I hate to say it but I don't think that contract will age that poorly. He is 28, and will be 36 (37?) when it is done. Lots of players at his size and skill still contribute well at that age.

He'll basically be 30 when the contract kicks in.

[Robbob]

It is a retirement contract. 112M. He chose guaranteed money over winning. He will be 30 years old in the first year of this contract. At the end of the day, if McDavid leaves, Draisaitl can still force a trade.

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by TheIronMaiden

I hate to say it but I don't think that contract will age that poorly. He is 28, and will be 36 (37?) when it is done. Lots of players at his size and skill still contribute well at that age.

Not at that cap hit, and he is 30 when it starts

[TheIronMaiden]

Originally Posted by jg13

He'll basically be 30 when the contract kicks in.

Right, It's damn hard to know properly without cap friendly these days.

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

Originally Posted by TheIronMaiden

I hate to say it but I don't think that contract will age that poorly. He is 28, and will be 36 (37?) when it is done. Lots of players at his size and skill still contribute well at that age.

It won't age terribly, I think you're right, but the simple fact is thst nearly his entire prime is over. They're paying a lot of money for Draisaitl's "still very good" years and maybe one or two "not that good anymore" years.

[Vinny01]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

It's also tough to say - because it's a lot of money to turn down - and nothing prevents him from being able to demand a trade in the future anyways if McDavid leaves.

You take the guaranteed money, and still can leave if absolutely necessary.

$112M is a lot of money to turn down. He would have needed to get $16M a year over 7 years to get the same value and I'm just not sure that was going to be on the table.

You take the money and guarantee that you are set for life - then you worry about the rest later.

He has already made generational wealth and would have demanded this much or more on the open market if he wanted and could have gone to a team like Anaheim who is on the upswing and also located in Southern California.

Gaudreau (RIP) turned down $16M to leave Calgary so it is not all about the money for everyone. Leon is not taking a discount similar to how Tavares took less to sign in Toronto but still has a heavy cap hit.

[dieHARDflameZ]

What a loser!

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by TheIronMaiden

I hate to say it but I don't think that contract will age that poorly. He is 28, and will be 36 (37?) when it is done. Lots of players at his size and skill still contribute well at that age.

It's really hard to say. He should always have good value on the powerplay but if he loses a step or two, things could change fast. He did look a little slower and less effective last season and the Oilers have rode him and McDavid hard over the years so his legs have a lot of miles on them. I don't think this contract will age as well as McDavid's who's always going to be a good skater even if he loses a step.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by kyuss275

I am very surprised he chose to stay in Edmonton. He was getting paid regardless.

The extra year adds a lot to what competitors would have to offer.

[gvitaly]

I think it's a fair cap hit for the next couple of seasons, but just like with Huberdeau the Oilers are buying his 29-37 years at a premium cap hit. IMO, unless the cap raises to $100M+ this will limit the Oilers' window to the next 3-4 years.

All in all, I think this will be a commitment similar to the one Bowman, and CHI made to their core after winning their cups. I would much rather be in FLA's shoes and have Barkov @ 10M x 6, Tkachuk @ 9.5M x 6, Reinhart at 8.625 x 8, and Frosling 5.75M x 8 making what McDavid + Draisaitl will cost.

[Ashasx]

Originally Posted by dino7c

Not at that cap hit, and he is 30 when it starts

I mean, maybe. Draisaitl isn't a player that exactly relies on footspeed for his success. He scored 2 points per game in the playoffs two seasons ago on one foot.

[Buzzard]

As a hard core Flames fan, I'm kind of happy with this.

I wanted to see drai gone, but I had a hard time suppressing the fear of them trading him for an absolute haul that could have rounded out that team better. Of course, the best scenario would have been seeing him walk, but at the end of the day it's looking like they are going to have upwards of $50 M tied up in 3 players.

As usual, the oilers being oliers, I have a hard time seeing them ever assembling a decent lineup properly to compliment the big three. The more I think about this, I'm fine with him staying.

[The Yen Man]

We will see if this contract ages poorly or not. I can see it go both ways. If guy starts slowing down and looking like how he looked in the series against he Panthers, then that contract will start looking ugly pretty quickly.

At $14M per, if he doesn't score over 100 points in the majority of those contract years, this contract is not gonna be worth it.

[GioforPM]

I'd bet in Draisaitl's mind this is a bit of a discount - like $1M. BUT the math at 15Mx7 didn't equal 14Mx8.

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by gvitaly

I think it's a fair cap hit for the next couple of seasons, but just like with Huberdeau the Oilers are buying his 29-37 years at a premium cap hit. IMO, unless the cap raises to $100M+ this will limit the Oilers' window to the next 3-4 years.

All in all, I think this will be a commitment similar to the one Bowman, and CHI made to their core after winning their cups. I would much rather be in FLA's shoes and have Barkov @ 10M x 6, Tkachuk @ 9.5M x 6, Reinhart at 8.625 x 8, and Frosling 5.75M x 8 making what McDavid + Draisaitl will cost.

Four! How do they ice a better team when McDrai and Bouchard contracts kick in??

[indes]

Yes! This is my ideal scenario. Now McDavid comes in at 16 and they're saddled with them until 2032. They'll keep selling off assets in an effort to win and they'll be complete junk for the foreseeable future. Basically Chicago, Pittsburgh, LA post cups... without the cups.