Oilers Report: Leon Draisaitl Should Become NHL's Highest-Paid Player

Will one of new GM Stan Bowman's first orders of business in Edmonton be to make Oilers co-superstar Leon Draisaitl the highest-paid player in hockey? “I want Leon to be an Oiler for life,” said Bowman after taking over the team.

Oilers' beat writer Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal is suggesting that a Draisaitl extension should be worth at least $13.5 million in AAV. That would put him just slightly ahead of Toronto Maple Leafs superstar Auston Matthews, whose $13.25 million cap hit kicks in this coming season.

Citing Draisaitl's Hart trophy, scoring title and three 50-goal seasons, Matheson says that the Oilers would actually be "lucky" to get their co-star for that $13.5M price.

Draisaitl is finishing off an eight-year deal with an $8.5 million cap hit this coming season. But the cap will go up by about $5 million the following year, which is when his potential new extension would kick in.

Matheson adds that "the deal will get done because owner Daryl Katz wants it done."

But fellow Edmonton Journal Oilers reporter David Staples has a slightly different number that he's predicting:

If you look at the third contracts of similar NHL star forwards, you see the average term is eight years, with the players taking on average about 15 per cent of the cap. If Drai were to do that he would earn about $13.2 million per season.

However, Staples' calculations are based on this coming season's $88M salary cap. In 2025-26, when the extension would kick in, the cap is expected to rise to the $92M-93M range, which, based on his 15% reasoning, would be about a $13.875 million cap hit. Even if we split the difference between the $13.2M and $13.875, Draisaitl would top that $13.5M mark, rendering him the top wage earner in the NHL.

Of course, Draisaitl's top billing on the NHL's salary structure scale will only last one year, as his teammate, and the Oilers A-1 leading man, Connor McDavid will be up for an extension next summer.