Insider: Long-Term Extension For Draisaitl in Edmonton Not Likely

Hold on to your seats, Oilers fans. It's not devastating news by any means, but a report out this week suggests that when Leon Draisaitl and the Edmonton Oilers complete their discussions on a new extension, it will likely not be of the massive eight-year variety that we've seen thrown around with other stars this summer.

On the most recent Hello Hockey podcast out of Edmonton, Insider David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period explained:

They're going to continue their discussions with respect to an extension. I think there is one that can be ironed out, (but) I just believe it's more likely... to see an Auston Matthews-esque type extension: four, five-year deal or anywhere from a three to five-year extension versus a full eight. That's the guage that I've gotten on this situation.

Rumors have been flying about Draisaitl's future since the end of the Stanley Cup Final in which the Oilers came up one goal short. He'll be going into the last year of his contract next season, and is eligible for an extension this summer, which has Oilers fans holding their breath.

And while other teams are holding out hope that Draisaitl might not stay put in Edmonton past next season, the most likely scenario is what Pagnotta explains: a three-to-five extension. This would allow him to keep his options open while he waits to see what happens with his fellow Oilers superstar Connor McDavid, whose contract still has two more years to run.

Matthews signed a 4-year, $13.25 million AAV extension with the Toronto Maple Leafs last summer, which will allow him to return to free agency again at the age of 30, after several more more years of the cap rising (and several more years of seeing whether there's any hope of the Leafs actually contending for a Cup). Draisaitl could do the same, though he is now 28, three years older than Matthews was when he signed his deal.

This is certainly a situation we'll be keeping a eye on.