As the summer drags on, the biggest storyline in the wait continues to be a contract extension for superstar forward Leon Draisaitl.
Weeks ago, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli said he felt the extension “may end up surpising people a little bit in terms of how reasonable it ends up being.” During the playoffs, he had predicted the deal could come in around the $14-million per year mark, but as things have carried on, Seravalli has reportedly changed his tune on where the two sides are.
During an appearance on Oilers NOW this week, he said “I think these two sides are a little further apart than I envisioned,” the shows producer Brenden Escott tweeted, highlighting how Servalli felt “it’s unfair to categorize it as hitting a snag.”
Draisaitl’s next deal will likely see him become the highest player in the league, taking the title from Auston Matthews, who carries an annual cap hit of $13.25-million. It will be well deserved for Draisaitl, given he is entering the final year of an eight-year, $8.5-million AAV darling deal that’s long been one of the best value contracts in the league.
Since the deal kicked in for the 2017-18 season, Draisaitl has been one of the best scorers in the league, ranking second in goals (297), fifth in assists (416) and second in points (713) to only teammate Connor McDavid’s 834. The dynamic duo has been a huge reason for the Oilers success these past years, dominating not just in the regular season, but in the playoffs, too.
In fact, among all players in NHL playoff history who have played 74 or more games, as many as Draisaitl has, he ranks fourth all-time in points per game with 1.46, behind McDavid (1.58), Mario Lemieux (1.61) and Wayne Gretzky (1.84).
One of Draisaitl’s agents, Jiri Poner, spoke to German outlet Eishockey NEWS in early July, stating he was “very confident that there will be an agreement with Edmonton in the end that both sides will be happy with.” Poner also indicated they wanted to get the deal done by the end of August, so the clock could be ticking on that timeline, assuming things haven’t changed in terms of when they want a deal to be completed by.
It’s fair to assume both Draisaitl and the team would like to get the deal done ahead of training camp, given this could be a storyline that could linger into and throughout a season in which the Oilers will look to return to the Stanley Cup Finals for a second consecutive year.
