After just signing a new contract deal with the Oilers, Leon Draisaitl didn’t take long to send Stan Bowman an urgent message regarding McDavid.
Yesterday, the Edmonton Oilers made news when they signed Leon Draisaitl to an eight-year contract extension that would pay an incredible record $14 million annually. This was a historic agreement for both the team and the league. Fans of the Oilers will undoubtedly be excited by the news, but there are some possible negatives as well, including a warning from Draisaitl himself.
Leon Draisaitl's beautiful feed to Warren Foegele had the Moss Pit going wild#LetsGoOilers | #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/XxkOJ3rDX4
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) June 22, 2024
During the press conference following the announcement, Leon Draisaitl voiced that his new deal would set the stage for linemate Connor McDavid to sign an extension next summer, and admitted to the difficulties that could come with it.
«Connor’s going to do what’s best for him, right?» he said on Tuesday when asked about each of them doing what’s best for themselves. «That’s just the way this works, and it’s supposed to work this way. I did what I felt was best for me personally.«Do I hope Connor follows along? I’d be lying if I said no. Of course I want him to stay on board, and i want all our pieces to stay on board.»
– Leon Draisaitl
Connor McDavid, who still has two years left on his current contract, which pays $12.5 million annually, won’t be free to sign a new deal with Edmonton until as early as July 1, 2025. And that could get a little messy for the Oilers, as pointed out by James Mirtle of The Athletic. He writes that the gigantic extension to Leon Draisaitl could make negotiations a bit tricky for McDavid, who is also in line for a significant raise.
«The more complicated question looking at all of this cap math is what that means for McDavid, who is peerless in the league. He has won more major individual awards (14 of the Hart, Lindsay, Art Ross, Richard and Conn Smythe) than the other three top salaried players combined. He’s piled up 610 points over the past five seasons (1.7 points per game) when only his teammate, Draisaitl, has cleared 500 (538) leaguewide. McDavid is, in short, one of one. And one of the best players to ever play the sport. Fifteen percent isn’t going to work.»- James Mirtle
If Leon Draisaitl is worth $14M, what do you pay Connor McDavid? Some thoughts on where that could end up next summerhttps://t.co/ddnJcN5FJJ
— James Mirtle (@mirtle) September 4, 2024
The Oilers’ greatest challenge will continue to be striking a fine line between maintaining the happiness of their superstar duo and building a competitive roster around them. This team’s salary cap flexibility will be severely limited as defenseman Evan Bouchard’s contract is up for renewal in 2025–2026. Even while this agreement was well-earned, it might make it more difficult for the Edmonton Oilers to recruit new players or hold onto their current roster, which includes Bouchard and Connor McDavid.
Anyways here are some Connor McDavid highlights pic.twitter.com/rZJ9c9jE9H https://t.co/lyuSXphx0X
— Fitz (@FitzGSN_) September 2, 2024
Insider Frank Seravalli believes Leon Draisaitl’s extension all but seals the deal that Connor McDavid will be an Oiler for life. But one must also take into consideration that with so much of the salary cap tied up in just a few players, the quality of the team’s depth could suffer.
«It’s now a 100 per cent shot that Connor McDavid re-signs with the Edmonton Oilers,» Seravalli told Bob Stauffer of Oilers Now. «Because there is no chance that he’s leaving. I didn’t think there was to begin with. And certainly not now with Leon Draisaitl looked up for the long term. There’s no way that Leon is signing if there is a chance that Connor is not.»- Frank Seravalli
And then there’s the warning from Leon Draisaitl himself at the press conference, which is a reminder that even with big names signed, there are still many obstacles ahead for GM Stan Bowman of the Oilers.
