TSN: Craig Button on the Edmonton Oilers extending Leon Draisaitl and next offseason Connor McDavid is eligible for one.
** NHLRumors.com transcription
“Eight-year extension for Leon Draisaitl. And this is the sound you heard from Oilers Nation after hearing the news, big, big exhale knowing that Leon Draisaitl will be in an Oilers uniform for the next nine seasons.
When you consider Leon Draisaitl is one of the best five players on the planet, you know that he delivers massive value. The Edmonton Oilers don’t have to go out and find other players to help him live up to that value. He makes everybody around him better, and he makes the team better.
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Secondly, the Edmonton Oilers in the past three seasons have been eliminated from the playoffs by that year’s Stanley Cup champion. They’re close, and they know that they can compete for a Stanley Cup. And with Leon Draisaitl, they know that their chances of winning won are that much greater.
So, you consider the Edmonton Oilers building a team that can contend and compete for a Stanley Cup. That, in and of itself, is massively attractive. The fan base is fantastic, and the support that the Edmonton Oilers get, is really significant. And the players know it, and they’re excited about playing there.
Now, third and this, you’d be remiss if we didn’t look ahead to where Connor McDavid’s contract will come in at. But how about if I set it up this way, in the year that Connor McDavid’s new contract will kick in, salary cap will be at $100 million or more. So if it’s $14 million for Leon Draisaitl, I’m not going to put an upper limit on Conor McDavid, but let’s say it’s $16 or $17 million if the Edmonton Oilers cannot ice a team with two of the very best players on the planet with $69 or $70 million available to them. Well, then it doesn’t matter.
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And if you’re going to put your chips in, put them in on players that are difference makers. That’s McDavid. That is Draisaitl. And as you look forward where the Edmonton Oilers want to be in the coming season and seasons, having Draisaitl done and now looking ahead to Connor McDavid, boy, it is exciting times in Oil Country.”
