Oilers Sign Leon Draisaitl, Becomes NHL's Highest Paid Player

The Edmonton Oilers have made Leon Draisaitl the highest paid player in the league next season when his new deal kicks in. The team signed their elite centerman to an eight-year, $14 million AAV deal.

OFFICIAL ✅

Leon Draisaitl has signed an eight-year extension with the @EdmontonOilers! pic.twitter.com/JQOezNicnF
— NHL (@NHL) September 3, 2024

Draisaitl will have the highest AAV in league history, but not the highest total money on a deal. Per Frank Seravalli, that was done by Alex Ovechkin ($124 million).

This is a win for the Oilers. It keeps an incredibly talented piece of their core on the team for a long time while he is in the prime of his career. As the last couple of years have proven, it isn't easy to get a number one center, especially not at the level of Draisaitl.

Regardless of if this seems like an overpayment now, the Oilers have benefited greatly by Draisaitl being highly underpaid for most of his current contract in which he had an AAV of $8.5 million. He has won the Hart Trophy, Art Ross Trophy, and Ted Lindsay Award while receiving Selke Trophy votes in two different seasons. He has been stuck in Connor McDavid's shadow, but on any other team, he gets his credit.

Draisaitl has been stellar during the regular season, scoring 347 goals, 850 points, and 296 power-play points in just 719 games, but somehow takes it to another level in the playoffs where he has scored 41 goals and 108 points in 74 games. Draisaitl has also led the playoffs in assists (25) in 2022 while being knocked out after 16 games, then led the playoffs in goals the following season (13) while losing in the second round (12 games).

This contract will look good in the later years and it seemed integral to keep an elite player on the team. It is better to overpay a little bit to a star than to lose him and struggle to replace what the Oilers would've lost. Signing Draisaitl also encourages McDavid to re-sign before his contract has ended as the two have magic on the ice and are looking to win together in Edmonton.

With that piece of business done, expect the Oilers to turn their full attention to Evan Bouchard next.