There was never any doubt on where Leon Draisaitl wanted to play the next eight seasons.
The Edmonton Oilers were able to lock up Draisaitl to a long-term deal that keeps a core part of the team in uniform for the foreseeable future.
“Hopefully, I’ll be an Oiler for life,” Draisaitl said about his new deal on Tuesday. “What we’ve built over the last couple of years and how at home I feel in Edmonton, I don’t know anything other than Edmonton, and I feel super proud and excited to wear that jersey every single day.”
The contract has an average annual value of US$14 million, the highest in NHL history.
Draisaitl played 81 games last season, notching 41 goals and 65 assists for 106 points. He added another 10 goals and 21 assists through 25 playoff games, helping propel Edmonton to its first Stanley Cup Final appearance since 2006.
He was set to become an unrestricted free agent next summer, which made his contract a top priority for new general manager Stan Bowman — even at the price the team signed him at.
“Players like Leon are special. There’s not many in the world that can play hockey like he does,” Bowman said. “There’s no way we could ever replace what Leon brings to the table. He’s a huge part of our team and will continue to be.”
Draisaitl signed an eight-year, $68-million contract extension in August 2017 that carried an annual average cap hit of $8.5 million — and quickly turned into one of the NHL’s bargains. That contract expires after the 2024-25 season.
The 28-year-old centre has 347 goals and 503 assists for 850 points in 719 regular-season games since getting selected third overall at the 2014 NHL draft.
Draisaitl was leading the league in scoring with 110 points (43 goals, 67 assists) across 71 contests in 2019-20 when the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered the sports world.
The Cologne, Germany, product won the Art Ross Trophy as a result, and then up picked up both the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP and the Ted Lindsay Award — given to the most outstanding player as voted on by the NHLPA membership.
Draisaitl, who suited up for the Western Hockey League’s Prince Alberta Raiders in junior, has six 100-point seasons to go along with an 84-point output during the NHL’s pandemic-shortened 2020-21 campaign.
He put up a career-best 128 points in 2022-23 when teammate Connor McDavid led the league with 153 after setting a personal high with 55 goals the previous season when Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs topped the ledger with 60.
The Oilers struggled to find the right mix around Draisaitl and McDavid until finally breaking through when they made the 2022 Western Conference final before falling to the Colorado Avalanche, who went on to win the Stanley Cup.
Edmonton lost in the second round the following spring to the Vegas Golden Knights — another team about to hoist hockey’s holy grail — and then fell in this year’s final to the Florida Panthers after besting the Los Angeles Kings, Vancouver Canucks and Dallas Stars.
McDavid’s current contract, which carries a $12.5-million salary cap hit, runs through the 2025-26 season.
—With files from the Canadian Press.