HIGHLIGHTS
- Leon Draisaitl signs a huge eight-year contract extension with the Oilers
- Draisaitl surpasses Auston Matthews as the high-paid NHL player
- Read below for more details on Draisaitl’s historic signing
Leon Draisaitl is officially the highest-paid player in NHL history.
Draisaitl signed a massive eight-year contract extension with the Oilers on Monday, carrying an AAV of 14 million. The contract kicks in for the 2025-26 season and will keep Leon in Alberta through 2033. He’s the first NHL player to break the $14M AAV mark.
🔒 LEON'S LOCKED IN 🔒
The #Oilers have signed forward Leon Draisaitl to an eight-year contract extension beginning in 2025-26 with an average annual value of $14 million. pic.twitter.com/wERUyneHA7
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) September 3, 2024
The contract is structured interestingly, with $104 million of the total $112 million being paid out as bonuses. That means only eight million of the total salary is in actual player salary.
According to a report by Andy Strickland, the Oilers and Draisaitl reached an agreement on the extension last week. However, a decision was made to release the news today out of respect for the tragic death of Blue Jackets’ forward Johnny Gaudreau.
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
Draisaitl’s contract officially makes him the high-paid player in the NHL, surpassing Auston Matthews of the Maple Leafs. Matthews signed a four-year contract extension with Toronto carrying a $13.25M AAV in August 2023.
This is a massive bag for Leon, but it’s hard to argue he hasn’t earned it. Since entering the NHL, the German ranks third in points (850) behind McDavid (982) and Nikita Kucherov (855), and second in power-play goals (146) behind Alex Ovechkin.
(Photo by Curtis Comeau/Icon Sportswire)What makes Draisaitl most deserving of this contract is his proven playoff performance. Draisaitl’s 1.46 points per playoff game rank fourth all-time among players with over 40 postseason games, trailing only Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, and teammate Connor McDavid.
Speaking with the media, Draisaitl stated his desire to win a Stanley Cup with Edmonton was key to his decision to sign long-term. He posted a photo on Instagram with the caption, “Loyal to the Oil.”
View this post on Instagram
With Draisaitl locked up, the Oilers can now focus on re-signing captain Connor McDavid, who is eligible for an extension starting July 1, 2025. McDavid’s current contract pays him 13.5 million annually, so he’s clearly in line to overtake Leon as the highest-paid NHL player.
Edmonton will have $35.75 million of their cap space tied up in Draisaitl, McDavid, and defenseman Darnell Nurse for the 2025-26 season. Not to mention, Evan Bouchard is a restricted free agent (RFA) with arbitration rights after the 2024-25 season. He’s expected to command around $10 million annually.
The Leafs’ “Core Four” gets constantly ridiculed, but the Oilers’ Core Four will make the Leafs’ contract structure look tiny in comparison once Bouchard re-signs.