The 28-year-old surpasses Auston Matthews’ $13.25 million cap hit with this new contract, which nearly doubles his salary
The 28-year-old surpasses Auston Matthews’ $13.25 million cap hit with this new contract, which nearly doubles his salary
With his eight-year, $112 million contract extension, the German star Leon Draisaitl now has the largest salary cap hit in NHL history—$14 million—thanks to the Edmonton Oilers.
The new contract begins with the 2025-26 season and runs through 2033. General manager Stan Bowman announced the extension Tuesday.
“This is a historic day for the Edmonton Oilers,” Bowman said.
Draisaitl and Connor McDavid helped the team reach Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final this past year. Draisaitl, the league’s MVP in 2020, was set to be an unrestricted free agent next summer.
Getting Draisaitl signed was the biggest task of the Oilers’ offseason. Bowman was hired as GM in late July, weeks after being reinstated by the league office following a ban for his role in the Chicago Blackhawks 2010 sexual assault allegations.
The big forward from Cologne has been worth every penny, putting up 850 points in 719 regular-season games since making his NHL debut and being one of the top producers in playoff history with 108 in 74. Draisaitl’s 1.46 points a game rank fourth all time among players with 40-plus games in the postseason behind Hall of Famers Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux and McDavid.
With this contract done, the Oilers can turn their attention to re-signing McDavid, their captain, face of the franchise and reigning playoff MVP. He could be a free agent in the summer of 2026 and is eligible to sign a contract extension July 1.