Leon is locked in. After spearheading the Edmonton Oilers to a Stanley Cup Final appearance in 2023, Leon Draisaitl has agreed to a massive contract extension that will make him the highest-paid player in the NHL.
The Oilers announced on Tuesday that Drasaitl will ink an eight-year deal worth $14 million per year.
The $14 million annual salary for Drasaitl is the highest in NHL history. The total value of $112 million is the second-richest in league history, trailing only Washington Capitals Alex Ovechkin’s 13-year, $124 million deal that was signed in January 2008.
Draisaitl joined a shot list and is just the seventh player who has received a contract extension of this magnitude worth at least $100 million. He is the first player to earn one since the Colorado Avalanche signed Nathan McKinnon to an eight-year, $100.8 million deal in September 2022.
Edmonton now has two players on their roster who have signed $100 million deals. Connor McDavid, who is regarded by most as the best player in hockey today and has two years left on his eight-year, $100 million extension that was signed, sealed and delivered back in July 2017.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Draisaitl-McDavid pairing has formed one of the most skillful and impactful duos in NHL history. Since they have come together and joined forces starting with the 2015-16 season, they have combined for 1,843 points in 1,327 games.
Prior to selecting Draisaitl with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2014 draft, the Oilers had been a ghost in the playoffs in eight consecutive seasons. They finished in the basement in their division five times during that span.
The Oilers have made the postseason in six of the past eight seasons, including each of the previous five years. They have advanced to the Stanley Cup Final last season for the first time since the 2005-06 campaign.
Edmonton became just the third team in NHL history to force a ‘winner take all’ Game 7 in the Stanley Cup Final after falling behind and then left on life support, down 3-0 in the series. The last time it happened was way back in 1945 when the Detroit Red Wings did it against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Oilers were unable to complete the historic comeback with a 2-1 loss on the road against the Florida Panthers in the decisive seventh game.
Draisaitl was amazing, racking up 31 points in 25 games for the Oilers during that playoff run. The 28-year-old has been a model of consistency, putting up at least 40 goals and 100 points in five of the past six seasons.
