The Edmonton Oilers announced on Wednesday that they have signed Leon Draisaitl to a eight-year, $68 million contract extension. The deal has an average annual value of $8.5 million.
The 21-year-old forward set a career in points (77), playing a majority of the season on the first line with last season’s Art Ross trophy winner Connor McDavid. McDavid recently signed an eight-year, $100 million contract to become the league’s highest paid player.
Draisaitl was one of the Oilers’ best forwards during the the 2016-17 season, quickly gaining the trust of his coaching staff and earning a promotion to McDavid’s first line. He led the Oilers in postseason points (16).
Leon Draisaitl led the #Oilers in points in the 2016-17 postseason with 16 points in 13 games (6 G, 10 A).
— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) August 16, 2017
The Oilers now have Draisaitl and McDavid signed to contracts through 2024 for a combined $21 million salary cap hit. This doesn’t lend the Oilers problems at the moment, but they will run into issues at the end of the upcoming season when seven RFAs and four UFAs will be in need of new contracts.
Draisaitl’s contract is comparable to Evgeny Kuznetsov’s. The Capitals second-line center signed an eight-year, $62.4 million contract in July.
Most comparable contracts to Draisaitl #Oilers 8 years at $8.5M:
1. Tarasenko
2. Kuznetsov
3. Johansenhttps://t.co/84gxFVOM32 pic.twitter.com/QalYZh2Cao— CapFriendly (@CapFriendly) August 16, 2017
The Edmonton Oilers have signed centre Leon Draisaitl to an eight-year contract extension, through the 2024-25 season, with an average annual value (AAV) of $8.5 million.
The 21-year old native of Cologne, Germany completed his third National Hockey League (NHL) season in 2016-17, setting career highs with 77 points (29G, 48A), also finishing with a +7 plus-minus rating and 20 penalty minutes in 82 games. He finished second in team scoring behind only Connor McDavid and ranked eighth among all NHL scorers. He also set a new record for points by a German player in an NHL season, surpassing the record of 59 points, set by Marco Sturm in 2006.
The 6’1″, 216-pound forward tied for the team lead with 27 power play points (3G, 24A) and also had five game-winning goals, three of which came in overtime. His 27 power play points ranked tied for eighth in the NHL.
He also led the Oilers in scoring during the 2017 playoffs, posting 16 points (6G, 10A) in 13 games.
Over 191 career regular season games with the Oilers, he has accumulated 137 points (50G, 87A) and 44 penalty minutes.
Draisaitl has played internationally for Germany at three World Hockey Championships (2014, 2016, 2017), two World Junior Hockey Championships (2013, 2014) and two Under 18 World Hockey Championships (2012, 2013). He was also the youngest member of Team Europe at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, contributing two goals in six games, reaching the final against Team Canada.
Draisaitl was selected by the Oilers in the first round, 3rd overall in the 2014 NHL Draft.
Headline photo: Rich Lam
