ESPN: Oilers mega star agree to a eight-year, $112 million contract extension.
Star player Leon Draisaitl of the Edmonton Oilers has committed to a new, long-term contract, but the cost was historically high.
The Oilers declared on Tuesday that Draisaitl had signed a $112 million, eight-year contract extension. It is the most costly contract ever offered to a player in the salary cap period, averaging $14 million annually. Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs, whose annual salary is $13.25 million, held the previous record.
Prior to this, Draisaitl was scheduled to begin the last year of an eight-year, $68 million contract that he signed in 2017. His current deal is good until the 2032–2033 NHL season.
General manager Stan Bowman said in a statement, “Players like Leon are special: There’s not many people in the world that can play hockey like he does.” Leon brings something special to the table that we could never hope to replicate. He has been and will continue to be a vital member of our team.
Bowman’s opinion is difficult to contest since in recent years, Draisaitl has been nothing short of extraordinary for the Oilers. In five of the previous six seasons, he has scored more than 100 points; the one season he hasn’t reached that mark was 2020–21.
Draisaitl qualified for his fifth All-Star game by finishing the 2023–24 season with 106 points (41 goals and 65 assists) in 81 games. In the playoffs, he added 10 goals and 21 assists for a total of 31 points, and he was a vital part of Edmonton’s march to the Stanley Cup Finals.
