Leon Draisaitl wants to win a Stanley Cup with the Edmonton Oilers and do it with his ride-or-die by his side.
But for as much as he wants to do that, he also hopes that Connor McDavid follows his lead, signing a long-term extension to stay in the NHL’s northernmost outpost.
“It would mean the world to me,” Draisaitl told NHL.com‘s Mike Zeisberger on Tuesday during the NHL North American Player Media Tour, continuing to make his public push for his friend to remain in Edmonton. “I love playing with him. I’ve always loved learning from him. Doing this together in a way and chasing this down together.
“Obviously, I’d be lying if I said I don’t want him there forever. I want him by my side. I’m sure he thinks the same way, but at the end of the day, I’m sure he’s going to do what’s best for him. That’s the way this business works, but I guess I’m just waiting for next summer,” Draisaitl chuckled.
Draisaitl inked his deal earlier this month, locking into an eight-year, $14-million per-year extension that will kick in after this season, running through the 2032-33 campaign. The deal will become the largest annual amount of money handed out to a player in NHL history.
When it comes to McDavid, who will become eligible to sign his deal on July 1st of next year, the money he makes will undoubtedly top that of Draisaitl. But for McDavid, he realizes there’s a lot more that just the dollar figures to take into account.
“Everything’s a factor,”he told Zeisberger. “Obviously, my loyalty to Edmonton, the fans, the organization, the loyalty to the players, all while understanding my will to win, my desire to win. All while balancing my family, my need to see them and spend time with them and make sure the people I care about are good.
“I think there are so many factors that go into a decision like that.”
Both Draisaitl and McDavid have provided tremendous value on the deals they still play on. Draisaitl inked an eight-year, $ 8.5-million-per-year deal in the summer of 2017, and while there was early concern about if he would be worth such money, it didn’t take long for him it to pay off in dividends. In fact, his deal has become a tremendous value, given that he’s totalled 297 goals and 713 points in 598 games played on that deal.
McDavid, meanwhile, signed his eight-year, $12.5-million deal that he too has paid off, given he’s been far and away he league’s leading point producer over that time.
Earlier this summer, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli predicted Draisaitl would sign a $14-million per year deal, while McDavid’s would be worth $16-million.
