Edmonton Oilers Waited to Announce Deal for Emotional Reason

The Edmonton Oilers re-signed forward Leon Draisaitl to a long-term extension this week, but reports are surfacing that the deal had been done for some time. The contract is fairly straightforward, except for a few financial details, including most of the contract being paid out in signing bonuses. Essentially, the Oilers could have announced this deal earlier, but they didn’t, and for good reason.

Reports are that the Oilers and Draisaitl waited.

The contract was between Draisaitl and the Oilers was agreed to late last week but in light of the recent tragedy and with respect to all involved a decision was made to release the news today…rightfully so.

— Andy Strickland (@andystrickland) September 3, 2024

NHL insider Andy Strickland noted on Twitter Tuesday, “The contract was between Draisaitl and the Oilers was agreed to late last week but in light of the recent tragedy and with respect to all involved a decision was made to release the news today…rightfully so.”