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

[Macho0978]

Originally Posted by butterfly

It would be a choice between trading him, doing nothing, or a short term deal.

Trading would have given them premium picks and prospects, the likes of which are rarely available. It also would have cleared the deck for a Bouchard deal who actually is at an age where a long term offer can be considered. Drafting star players and turning them into younger players (hopefully future stars) instead of funding their decline is a good idea.

Doing nothing would have given them the exact same shot at this year that they already have - without hitching their wagon to Draisaitl's decline. He also would have no reason to relax in a contract year where everyone would be watching.

A 1-3 year deal would have made sense for the Oilers and would be something I'd see if their camp was interested in. If that was a non-starter, it would boil down to the first two options.

What they did gives them the same thing as doing nothing, plus signing him to a negative value contract. If Draisaitl had been FA at age 29 (instead of 30) and the options were 1x$8.5 or 9x$13.4, which one would you be interested in? The former is doing nothing, and the latter is what the Oilers chose.

The situation is Edmonton is looking bad after next season, but it's hard to say for 100% that the Draisaitl contract is bad. Yes, it's not a discount, but it's hard to argue they should have done anything other than keeping him. Trading him would have made more sense a few years ago than now.

Failing to draft for years, terrible cap management lead to the situation. Leon is getting paid a fair amount considering the cap should rise yearly for a few years, the contract isn't bad and really the Oilers should have signed it

[dino7c]

Gretzky comparisons are something else lol

Wayne had 114 ASSISTS at 28
Drai just had 106 points

its laughable to think Drai will average 100+ points over the next 10 years...he barely hit 100 last year
He also is injured to near death every playoffs if you listen to Oiler fans/media

Oilers IMO would have been better off trading him for the top Dman they could have gotten in return...their D is not winning the cup. Any good/very good player will put up 90+ on the PP with McDavid. This idea that they had to do it because every other team does it is false IMO.

Every team also signs dumb UFA deals...first team that puts the phone away july 1 with have net positive

[PepsiFree]

I don’t think there is a realistic scenario where Draisaitl returns premium assets (those with serious future star potential).

Short term deals also bring even higher cap hits, spelling a bit of a disaster situation for a team that is already staring at cap hell in the eyes with a seriously old roster with no prospects.

I don’t think the Oilers made the best decision, but I can appreciate as a Flames fan the fact that all they had were options that scaled from bad to worse.

[dino7c]

Future? I think they could get a current high end dman for Drai...I also think he is highly over rated due to his time with McDavid. That's not to say he is bad but McDavid boosts him 20+ points.

[Inferno]

Originally Posted by Macho0978

but it's hard to argue they should have done anything other than keeping him.

I would say they had to try and sign him but they probably would have been better off long term if he forced their hand into trading him.

Even if they didn't get the haul people think they could have it opens up cap for them to sign other players to fill the holes they have.

[dino7c]

This idea they wouldn't get a haul for him is insane...he would have been the biggest player on the market since Tkachuk

anyway it doesn't matter now...lets see how it plays out. I bet they are mediocre for most of this contract but they "had to do it"

[SuperMatt18]

Originally Posted by dino7c

Gretzky comparisons are something else lol

Wayne had 114 ASSISTS at 28
Drai just had 106 points

its laughable to think Drai will average 100+ points over the next 10 years...he barely hit 100 last year
He also is injured to near death every playoffs if you listen to Oiler fans/media

Oilers IMO would have been better off trading him for the top Dman they could have gotten in return...their D is not winning the cup. Any good/very good player will put up 90+ on the PP with McDavid. This idea that they had to do it because every other team does it is false IMO.

Every team also signs dumb UFA deals...first team that puts the phone away july 1 with have net positive

For my comparisons I really don't think Drai is close to Crosby or Gretzky but more just a view of how much even the best players ever drop off once they turn 30.

In terms of McDavid and Draisaitl everything you said here is true.

- McDavid likely inflates Drai by 15-20 points
- McDavid and 1st time PP time probably can get anyone 90+ points
- And depending on the trade market there probably was a deal that would make them a better "team"

But the one thing that is being missed is that re-signing Drai is what they felt gave them the best opportunity to re-sign McDavid.

And in the end that's the goal. Jackson, Knoblauch, Drai...everything that team does is with the end goal of keeping 97.

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

For my comparisons I really don't think Drai is close to Crosby or Gretzky but more just a view of how much even the best players ever drop off once they turn 30.

In terms of McDavid and Draisaitl everything you said here is true.

- McDavid likely inflates Drai by 15-20 points
- McDavid and 1st time PP time probably can get anyone 90+ points
- And depending on the trade market there probably was a deal that would make them a better "team"

But the one thing that is being missed is that re-signing Drai is what they felt gave them the best opportunity to re-sign McDavid.

And in the end that's the goal. Jackson, Knoblauch, Drai...everything that team does is with the end goal of keeping 97.

Oh I wasn't saying specifically you...you know who was suggesting it was so likely when it is incredibly unlikely
just wanted to make the point that Wayne was FAR superior at 28 and didn't even do it

And yeah we will see if McDavid re-signs and for how much, if he doesn't this deal becomes a real disaster

[Aarongavey]

Originally Posted by dino7c

Future? I think they could get a current high end dman for Drai...I also think he is highly over rated due to his time with McDavid. That's not to say he is bad but McDavid boosts him 20+ points.

They kept him more for business reasons than for hockey reasons imo. While I personally think that signing him and McDavid gives them their best chance for success on the ice what signing both of them does is lockdown a generation of fans. If he and McDavid play for the Oilers for 17-20 years 90% of kids born between 2010-2025 and raised in rural Alberta will likely grow up to be Oilers fans and probably 20-30% of kids raised in Calgary for that same time period probably grow up to be Oilers fans. Suspect that significantly helps both franchise valuation and the Oilers bottom line. Pretty much a no brainer from a business perspective.

[SuperMatt18]

Originally Posted by dino7c

Oh I wasn't saying specifically you...you know who was suggesting it was so likely when it is incredibly unlikely
just wanted to make the point that Wayne was FAR superior at 28 and didn't even do it

And yeah we will see if McDavid re-signs and for how much, if he doesn't this deal becomes a real disaster

If McDavid doesn't sign I'd be trying to trade Drai before he plays a single game without McDavid if I were the Oilers

[Macho0978]

Originally Posted by Inferno

I would say they had to try and sign him but they probably would have been better off long term if he forced their hand into trading him.

Even if they didn't get the haul people think they could have it opens up cap for them to sign other players to fill the holes they have.

If the goal is to win a cup, keeping him is the best option. Mcdavid is more likely to stay signing him.

Trading him for the best return would be trading him for prospects and picks. No team in the league is trading an elite dman on a value contract for Leon without talking to Leon about extending. Once you start the process of letting him talk to other team, there is no turning back. If he wants LA, are you getting Doughty? How does that make them better? Huge risk he agrees to extend with the wrong team for getting value.

Oilers go into a rebuild they may never have a better chance than they do next year. Contract is not a discount, the situation doesn't look good but it's more to do with the mismanagement of their cap and drafts picks than this contract.

[Inferno]

Originally Posted by Macho0978

Trading him for the best return would be trading him for prospects and picks.

Not necessarily. And no, I don't have any examples of possible trades. I just don't think they couldn't get something back as part of the deal that could help them now.

[Macho0978]

Originally Posted by Inferno

Not necessarily. And no, I don't have any examples of possible trades. I just don't think they couldn't get something back as part of the deal that could help them now.

That is very dependent on who Leon wants to sign with.

I don't think there is a single trade they could make where they get better without taking on huge risk in the players age and contract. Just don't' see it

[Jason14h]

Ahhh good to see we’ve circled back to the Edmonton should have traded him for a haul including a top D argument but no one can give an example of even a possible trade that actually would make sense !

I actually took the time to look and the only thing I could come up with was something around Dahlin for Leon as the primary pieces but I don’t think Leon resigns in Buffalo and I don’t think it makes the Oilers better / gives them a better chance at the cup

Mcdavid isn’t staying if you trade Leon for 3 average pieces.

Even if we assume the MT framework we see how well that worked for Calgary vs the team acquiring the star .

A late 1st, 2nd pairing D and flawed (perceived) star for a true superstar doesn’t help Edmonton in the next few year which is all they care about

As Pepsi pointed out - all their options really sucked but signing him really makes the most sense from a risk management standpoint - and then cross your fingers home and McDavid can drag you to a cup

They will always have a punchers chance with those 2 in the playoffs

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by Jason14h

Ahhh good to see we’ve circled back to the Edmonton should have traded him for a haul including a top D argument but no one can give an example of even a possible trade that actually would make sense !

I actually took the time to look and the only thing I could come up with was something around Dahlin for Leon as the primary pieces but I don’t think Leon resigns in Buffalo and I don’t think it makes the Oilers better / gives them a better chance at the cup

Mcdavid isn’t staying if you trade Leon for 3 average pieces.

Even if we assume the MT framework we see how well that worked for Calgary vs the team acquiring the star .

A late 1st, 2nd pairing D and flawed (perceived) star for a true superstar doesn’t help Edmonton in the next few year which is all they care about

As Pepsi pointed out - all their options really sucked but signing him really makes the most sense from a risk management standpoint - and then cross your fingers home and McDavid can drag you to a cup

They will always have a punchers chance with those 2 in the playoffs

It hasn't worked for the first half of their careers but it will totally work in the 2nd half with much higher salaries
Really time will tell...lets wait and see I guess

You can continue to be smug but in a relatively short amount of time I bet the Oilers are wishing they went another direction here. Chicago without the cups is what to me seems like the most likely outcome.

[SuperMatt18]

It's impossible to guess what might be on the table in a hypothetical Draisaitl trade, but it would eclipse the Tkachuk / Eichel values for sure.

If I had to guess what potential pieces could have been available in a trade I could have seen something like.

New York: Chytil, Kakko, Lafreniere, K.Miller, Schneider

Carolina: Jarvis, Necas, Kotkaniemi, Nikishin

New Jersey: Mercer, Nemec, Hischier

Buffalo: Power, Byram, Benson, Peterka,

Los Angeles: Byfield, Clarke, Lafferiere, Kaliyev,

Could you have gotten 2 of those "win now" pieces and additional picks/prospects from these teams...I could see it.

[VilleN]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

It's impossible to guess what might be on the table in a hypothetical Draisaitl trade, but it would eclipse the Tkachuk / Eichel values for sure.

If I had to guess what potential pieces could have been available in a trade I could have seen something like.

New York: Chytil, Kakko, Lafreniere, K.Miller, Schneider

Carolina: Jarvis, Necas, Kotkaniemi, Nikishin

New Jersey: Mercer, Nemec, Hischier

Buffalo: Power, Byram, Benson, Peterka,

Los Angeles: Byfield, Clarke, Lafferiere, Kaliyev,

Could you have gotten 2 of those "win now" pieces and additional picks/prospects from these teams...I could see it.

While those hypotheticals may improve the Oilers - and I think they probably would. We have no idea if that is even close to what they could/would get. There is no guarantee this improves the team. It is a rare GM who would have the balls to make this kind of move - pulling the trigger on that kind of trade, right after you came within one game of winning the cup is a pretty tough sell... I doubt there is a single owner who would give the OK to a deal like that.

[Macho0978]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

It's impossible to guess what might be on the table in a hypothetical Draisaitl trade, but it would eclipse the Tkachuk / Eichel values for sure.

If I had to guess what potential pieces could have been available in a trade I could have seen something like.

New York: Chytil, Kakko, Lafreniere, K.Miller, Schneider

Carolina: Jarvis, Necas, Kotkaniemi, Nikishin

New Jersey: Mercer, Nemec, Hischier

Buffalo: Power, Byram, Benson, Peterka,

Los Angeles: Byfield, Clarke, Lafferiere, Kaliyev,

Could you have gotten 2 of those "win now" pieces and additional picks/prospects from these teams...I could see it.

No team is trading these players without an extension in place. Cross off Buffalo and probably Carolina too.

Edmonton wants to keep McDavid, you trade Leon for Byfield and Clarke, that's a great trade IMO but that's not making them better next year. Huge risk it doesn't make them better for the next 2 years. McDavid is less likely to stay, you blew your chance at a cup.

If you trade Leon, you might as well trade both. If you have McDavid, why would you even entertain trading him if he is willing to stay??

The Oilers mess is not due to these guys, it's more due to millions of wasted cap on players not even on the team. I get that issue isn't going away, but they could rebuild and never replace McDavid.

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by Macho0978

No team is trading these players without an extension in place. Cross off Buffalo and probably Carolina too.

Edmonton wants to keep McDavid, you trade Leon for Byfield and Clarke, that's a great trade IMO but that's not making them better next year. Huge risk it doesn't make them better for the next 2 years. McDavid is less likely to stay, you blew your chance at a cup.

If you trade Leon, you might as well trade both. If you have McDavid, why would you even entertain trading him if he is willing to stay??

The Oilers mess is not due to these guys, it's more due to millions of wasted cap on players not even on the team. I get that issue isn't going away, but they could rebuild and never replace McDavid.

Why he signed in Edmonton FFS...an 8 year deal at 14M was obviously hard to pass up and impossible to beat. Hanifin didn't really want to go to Vegas over Tampa but the 8 year deal trumps all.

[Macho0978]

Originally Posted by dino7c

Why he signed in Edmonton FFS...an 8 year deal at 14M was obviously hard to pass up and impossible to beat. Hanifin didn't really want to go to Vegas over Tampa but the 8 year deal trumps all.

So, you are comparing Buffalo to Vegas? If he decided to leave Edmonton, he isn't going to Buffalo. Sorry they aren't on the list so cross them off.