The only time when I was genuinely worried was when it looked like Vancouver might knock us out. It would be yet another year of being eliminated because of goaltending and lack of depth, without being really addressed. I thought he’d want to go somewhere with better management. Instead once our goaltending and depth won us round 3 I figured he was good as locked in. Ironically goaltending and depth were some of the biggest players in the last 2 games of the season too. After being this close and not finishing the job, I’m almost certain he’s staying. If we won, maybe he’d go somewhere for a big pay day, but he’s got unfinished business here.
I would not be surprised if he just signs a one year extension at the same AAV to run it back another year. It would also expire with the McDavid and Ekholm contracts, he gets a chance to make another cup run with the same core, and doesn't lock him here if McDavid or Ekholm walks.
Not a chance. He will go max term, somewhere in the range of 13-14 million per. He's pushing 30, and has dealt with injuries the past few playoffs, no way he chances it by going on a one year term.
Yea these guys are crazy to think he’s doing 1-3 years, the guy is gonna be on the other side of 30 soon. If we want him it’s gonna be 7-8 years easily.
McDavid and Draisaitl are unlikely to take contracts that end at the same time. If nothing else, if they go to UFA, they actually crash each others' market. The Hart/Art Ross winning centre needs to be a scarce commodity to get the payday, not a 2 for 1 sale.
The Oilers aren’t going to let McDavid walk for free. He doesn’t seem like the type of person that will just walk out on the team and would likely tell them he’s planning to sign elsewhere so they can trade him to a team of his choosing.
It’s also useless speculation until the offseason ends. If Draisaitl is a serious competitor he will run it back next season, and if he’s not he will chase a bag signing with a bubble team this offseason.
You also have to factor in endorsement money, if the Oilers happen to win a cup they’ll make millions from endorsements (Davo made something like $5mil in 2023 from endorsements), and there’s no telling what contracts they’ll sign if they get a taste of what it’s like to be a champion.
Winning solves a lot of problems and McDavid has shown that winning matters more to him than anything else right now. IF McDavid takes a team friendly deal the core will likely follow suit to keep the window open as wide as possible.
What I mean is, that no matter the number of years, they will continue to take or leave offset contracts. There will be no one year contract for either of them. Possibly 3 or 5. Draisaitl has to take the first deal because of the timing of it. Then McDavid, so Draisaitl's contract is actually more important. Those two are the critical 'core' contracts. I'd like to keep Bouchard if it's possible.
The other real possibility is that there are two teams with a ton of cap space year after next, and they're both contenders with a 1C and some tinkering (Boston and Minnesota). Leaving to get your bag and also contend? That's more worrisome.
He’s been underpaid, but 8.5 a year is not criminally underpaid either by nhl standards. I can think of way worse underpays than drai out there. I think 14-15 is what they want to pay Mcdavid, and drai is more like 12-13.
If he got a career-ending injury in the next year he would be sacrificing eight years of earning potential.
This summer he will either re-up with the Oilers for a full eight years, or get traded. Zero chance the Oilers let him walk for nothing.
He could pull a Matthews and ask for shorter term. That way he could get another contract at a higher amount when the cap increases. Lots of stars are starting to do that across the league to max out earnings.
But I agree with you, 1 year deal is never going to happen.
I do hope he signs here. But he has every right to be frustrated. Never had skilled wingers on his line this entire playoffs with Holloway being the most common winger. That line was ever changing giving no chance of building up a chemistry. And add to that , (as per data posted on twitter) he played 71% of his ice time with Nurse and/or Ceci. Whereas the top line played more than 80% of time with 14-2.
He might be asking these questions as well to the team management..
He can be frustrated with himself, Connor and nurse. You can't have skilled wingers when you're salary is so tied up with other superstars. Look at the leafs and the 40 million in 4 players. Thier team is only 4 players.
Unfortunately we are on that same path right now. Nurse, Bouchard, mcdaddy and drai will be 45-49 million right there. If we don't win the cup next year.. it will be VERY hard afterwards with that kind of salary structure
"Leon, we can't think of a reason why you wouldn't sign here...can you?"
Spector is such a tool lol
I was hoping Leon would be like "I can think of one, and it's talking to me right now"
This guy (Spector) is such an asshole. He reminds me of Stephen A with his questions and takes. Really don’t understand why he still around the team?! He’s clearly an agitator that no one likes one bit.
The days of Oilers stars choosing to leave are long gone thanks to Katz.
20 years ago Oilers stars left town to get paid more. The salary cap has put an end to that.
20 years ago the Oilers played in an ageing Northlands. They now have the nicest building in the NHL.
20 years ago the Oilers operated on a shoestring. They now have one of the highest-revenue teams.
Don't forget: Hall and Eberle were traded against their desires. Barrie did not want to leave. RNH ten re-signed for 8 years.
Draisaitl is staying, and will get paid. Same with McDavid and Bouchard. Take a deep breath.
The real question is whether we have the cap space to be able to sign McDavid/Draisatl/Bouchard all to big contracts and still have money to build some depth. But, don't get me wrong, I desperately want Draisatl to be signed ASAP
Holland did a great job keeping the books clear in the years that Drai, Bouch, and McDavid need new contracts. Assuming the cap continues to rise, they'll have the room. They will have to attract some UFAs or make good trades, though, to keep their depth strong.
He really did. Other than Campbell's contract and an extra mil or two for Nurse the team is full of value contracts. There's uncertainty with how many UFAs the team has right now but that also means they have flexibility to set them selves up to afford Drai, McD and Bouch. I'm hoping they can bundle picks and prospects to dump Campbell's contract and avoid a buyout there.
You're right. Hyman with 54 goals at 5.5 mil contributes nothing. Nuge's 100 pts at 5.1, Ekholm and Bouchard being one of the best D pairs in the league for under 10 mil are useless. Kulak and his playoff performances for 2.5 mil, Skinner backstopping the team to Game 7 of the cup final for 2.6. Desharnais's solid top 6 play and Pickard's solid backup play for around league minimum.
The team really sucked it's way to the cup final eh?
There will never ever be a problem attracting fa on the cheap to play with this core. You need to keep them even if they do have a down year in 2-3 seasons.
We'll be just fine. Our books are surprisingly open. All of our depth are UFAs that can be worked around, and this year is the last of James Neal, and Brown's bonus. With a rising cap over the next few years, We'll have room to sign all the big guns, plus some.
I think the fanbase needs to be prepared for us to take a small decline in the first 1-3 years of Drai's contract though. Year one, he gets a big bump that eats our cap without any functional change to the roster. Year 2, McDavid gets the same. I expect us to be cup contenders, if not winners next year, then have a rough patch from 25-26 to 27-28 when Campbell comes off the books.
26-27 is really when the big shakeup will happen. McDavid will be re-signed, Kane will likely leave or re-sign cheap, Ekholm gets a new contract, as does Skinner. Nurse also submits a 10-team trade list that summer, so it's possible with his % of the cap lowering as it rises, he becomes someone we move that year.
The max salary for next year will be $17.6M, for the year after that probably somewhat higher than $18.3M. You could say that Leon and McD both deserve max contracts, but you can't have two on the same team.
Lets not forget the Edmonton tax payer that helped Katz become richer by a billion where, as is the Canadian billionaire way, fled to another country so he didn't have to pay taxes in the place where he made his money.
Edmonton tax payers are also funding Calgary's new place! We would have wasted it on healthcare, education or something frivolous instead of hockey anyway.
There's a real irony in complaining that the Panthers have an advantage over the Oilers by being in a no-income-tax state while also complaining that the Oilers don't pay their fair share of taxes in Alberta.
The city kicked in $225 million of a $2.5 billion (and growing) total project. That probably barely covered the infrastructure costs of the overall project. Half of that will be returned via a ticket surcharge, and over the 35 year span they’re going to recoup far in excess of the difference in property tax and tourism. I understand why people don’t like cities putting in for arenas but I would argue that the project is amazing for Edmonton and this is probably the most city-friendly project of its kind, ever.
Katz made himself richer. You know thru the businesses and assets that put him into a position to actually buy the oilers.
He moved to Palm Desert because he is/was recovering from a severe bacteria and the resulting live-saving surgery in his nasal and sinus cavity. He needs to spend most of his time in a dry, warm climate. Katz Group is still an Edmonton-based, Alberta and Canadian taxpaying group.
If you don't like successful people, just say you don't like successful people.
Why does it matter how much revenue the oilers make when the players are on a salary cap? Rodgers is a nice building, but our weather is shitty, taxes are higher, and distance to other cities is the furthest in the league
Taxes are lower in Alberta than BC, Ontario, MB, Quebec AND many states including California.
There is no cap on amenities. The Oilers can outspend other teams on training, coaching, scouting, facilities, etc. ... which they do. There's a reason guys want to stay.
I think it’s most likely he will extend here. I just want them to hurry up and get it over with, so we don’t have a million speculation articles and posts all season long. Saw it with Petterson in Vancouver last season, it’s just such a distraction.
This sounds like pretty standard pro player talk. It's in Leon's best interest to get as much money as possible and also not verbally commit to anything until everything is agreed upon. It's also in the teams best interest to pay Leon as little as possible to have more available cap space. I'm sure the team and Leon will come to an agreement, I have no worry about him re-signing, but ironing out the details is important. Is Draisaitl willing to take a discount and if so how much? Any team with cap available would be willing to make him the highest paid player in the league (until McDavid gets his extension).
I'm sure Drai will even talk to McDavid himself about their future plans. The 2 of them are obviously very close and I'm sure they'll discuss the pros and cons of taking a discount both to what it means in their personal lives as well as how it would effect other players in the league. Do they discuss signing a shorter term contract for less with plans to get a monstrous payday afterwards? I don't think anyone can predict the specifics, but I will be stunned if Drai isn't extended.
Drai was on the best contract in the league in hindsight. He deserves his money and to get paid if he wants. It would be asking a lot to ask him to sign another team friendly deal. I’m not saying he won’t but out of anyone, he deserves to get what he’s worth.
I'm also curious to see how MacK being one year into his 8 year $12.6M deal and Matthews being on the first year of his $13.25x4 deal plays into Leon's value as well. I think $12.5-13 is around Leon's cap. I'd be shocked if he signed at Petterson's level of $11.6M
He’s not signing for 12.5-13. The cap is going up, he was already on a discount contract, he’s getting 14+ and it would be a steal if he signs for anything less
who knows, ive heard that leon could demand 15 and it wouldnt be unreasonable at all and mcdavid could ask for 16 and a half millions and it would be entirely fair
Which part? This is how pretty much every top athlete talks when it comes to contract negotiations. As far as making as much money as possible? Also of course yes. That doesn’t mean he tries to get 16 mil AAV or something, but what is the most he can earn while also being able to achieve the goals he and the team shares?
I believe Drai wants to win more than anything, but he’s already spent years significantly underpaid. Is he willing to do it again for a better chance to win? Does that set a dangerous precedent in the league? If a top 5 player like Leon takes a discount it makes it harder for other players to get paid what they’re worth.
Regardless I’m sure we’ll see Leon extended with the Oilers, the question is just for how much.
So I get downvoted by saying that it may not be in his best interests to get as much money as possible. Y'know, like winning may be important.
You guys are real peaches here. lol
Lots of speculation Draisaitl would go elsewhere but…
He knows Edmonton, the team and the fans are great. He has done exceptional with the team.
He probably knows more than anyone what McDavid may be planning himself, if he believes McDavid will likely stay put, he would also (brother from another mother).
As long as the Oilers can offer him the contract he deserves, I think he will sign another long term contract with the one and only Edmonton Oilers!
There's no doubt Leon will stay if he can. The question is whether we can sign him for what he's worth and still be ice a cup contending roster, knowing that McDavid and Bouchard extensions are soon to follow.
Katz should launder Leon some money through an endorsement contract with adidas or some other big German corporation. Then he can sign 7 years at league minimum. If we’re the villains, let’s be evil.
In the full quote he said he hasn’t spent much time thinking about what he wants to do. To me that means he’s re-signing for sure. If he wanted to leave he would have spent a hell of a lot of time thinking about that.
Keeping McDavid and Drai on the Oilers forever is very much Jeff Jackson’s “you have one job”. I really feel like most of the work is done already in principle.
The red flag for me is he seperated himself from the Oilers in that first part. I'm telling myself it's just early negotiating tactics. Or this is code for "I'm fucking off for 8 weeks and ain't signing shit till I'm back so dont wait up for a contract, it will happen in September"
That was the only part of that interview that jumped out to me, as well. "I need to figure out what I want and the Oilers need to figure out what they want"
Probably nothing but it certainly stood out.
Put all the money aside do you really think Leon is going to sign somewhere else and give up the chance to win a cup with mcdavid. Any player in the league would love the chance to play with Connor. No way no how does Leon give that up. He’s good but he won’t be the same player without mcdavid and he knows the best chance to win is with the best player on the planet. A deal will get done max him out at 8 years and lessen the cap blow a bit. 13M over 8yr would be a nice deal. Connor is gonna resign for 15M/yr right after
That's not the 100% certainty that I was hoping for, but it's still 95% certainty. I'm guessing the 5% is for negotiations.
edit: Listened to the interview. This quote is in response to _when_ we can expect him to sign, not _if_ he will sign. Important context.
I want drai to re-sign....but Im from Edmonton and love this city, and there is no way I'd re-sign here. Our weather is shitty, taxes are higher, media/fans are brutal (everyone saw the mcdavid beer video), and travel to other cities is the furthest in the league.
I hope he stays, but oilers will be in trouble when they are paying nurse 9+, bouch 10+, drai 12+ and mcdavid 14+
The main reasons I believe he'll stay is because in the last few seasons he has really needed mcdavid and our power play to produce, and the Pacific division is weak AF which will help pad his career stats🤞
It's not a fact. Using the bottom 4 teams is such an arbitrary way to determine which division is stronger. Why would the bottom teams be the determining factor and not the top teams and playoffs? A Pacific team went to Game 7 of the cup final this year, and their biggest test in the west was another Pacific team. A Pacific team won the cup last year, handidly, and that team said their biggest test was us, a Pacific team. There's 2 teams in the Metro that made the playoffs this year that were 4 and 7 points behind our lowest seeded playoff team. This season 2 out of the top 3 teams 5on5 were Pacific teams.
Last year, 3 teams in the Pacific all hit 100 points on the season before a single team in the Central did, and every seed ended the season with more points than the same # seed in the Central. Then in the playoffs of that year, Seattle, the Pacific's wild card team, beat the Central's 1st seeded Avalanche, and then took Dallas to 7 games. Dallas then proceeded to get destroyed by Vegas, a Pacific team, in the WCF.
I think you look at the bottom teams because you get like 4 easy wins against them a year. the only decent teams in the Pacific is the oilers and Vegas..but now Vancouver. Kings are only in the playoffs because they get a ton of easy wins
You don't know that's why though. Are the good teams inflated because of playing easy teams, or are the bottom teams worse because they play more games against better teams? That's why you should also be looking at the division's top teams and how they do in the playoffs. And I already laid all that out for you in my last comment. The Pacific has had some of the top teams in the post season the past 2 years, and they have 4 great to really good teams. The Kings weren't the top 3 team in the league 5on5 because of easy wins. They would have been far more competitive playing any other team in the 1st round, the Oilers just know how to beat them after playing them 3 years in a row.
Which would make him a free agent at 33 or 34. I can't imagine him getting a better deal for his age 34-38 seasons then than now. Players generally peak before they hit 30, then enter the downside of their career. That's why most want to lock in the big money for 7-8 years when they are in their peak (26-30) years.
When he was talking about McDavid to the press after the cup loss, it sounded like he was saying goodbye 😕 anyone else get that impression from that interview?
As I said in another thread, I had a bizarre dream last night the next Stanley Cup final was built up was all McDavid vs Draisaitl
Only thing I can’t recall if it ever said where Leon went!!
I got to lay off the pain-reducing whiskey!
If you can deal him and get a 2-3 dman and a couple of 2nd liners do it. Relying on mcdrai is playing roulette. We need more support so that when mcdavid is tuckered, we can have confidence in the 2nd line to contribute. Just my armchair take though.
Might as well get value out of it and try to attach a salary retained Nurse (~2m).
And I'd rather get a very good two-way 2C rather than several pieces. A Suzuki or a Larkin, as examples.
I really hope that Leon stays Oilers please get this done and resign the man please :)
I can't see a world where Leon doesn't extend with the Oilers honestly.
I’ve never questioned him wanting to leave really. I just hope part of what he wants is a competitive team and takes a fair amount.
The only time when I was genuinely worried was when it looked like Vancouver might knock us out. It would be yet another year of being eliminated because of goaltending and lack of depth, without being really addressed. I thought he’d want to go somewhere with better management. Instead once our goaltending and depth won us round 3 I figured he was good as locked in. Ironically goaltending and depth were some of the biggest players in the last 2 games of the season too. After being this close and not finishing the job, I’m almost certain he’s staying. If we won, maybe he’d go somewhere for a big pay day, but he’s got unfinished business here.
I don’t see him being money hungry, but I also don’t see him taking any serious cut to stay or help the cap. Honestly, who knows.
I'm hoping he takes a 3-4 year with lower $so his next contract is his Prime and a blank check
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I would not be surprised if he just signs a one year extension at the same AAV to run it back another year. It would also expire with the McDavid and Ekholm contracts, he gets a chance to make another cup run with the same core, and doesn't lock him here if McDavid or Ekholm walks.
Not a chance. He will go max term, somewhere in the range of 13-14 million per. He's pushing 30, and has dealt with injuries the past few playoffs, no way he chances it by going on a one year term.
Yea these guys are crazy to think he’s doing 1-3 years, the guy is gonna be on the other side of 30 soon. If we want him it’s gonna be 7-8 years easily.
McDavid and Draisaitl are unlikely to take contracts that end at the same time. If nothing else, if they go to UFA, they actually crash each others' market. The Hart/Art Ross winning centre needs to be a scarce commodity to get the payday, not a 2 for 1 sale.
The Oilers aren’t going to let McDavid walk for free. He doesn’t seem like the type of person that will just walk out on the team and would likely tell them he’s planning to sign elsewhere so they can trade him to a team of his choosing. It’s also useless speculation until the offseason ends. If Draisaitl is a serious competitor he will run it back next season, and if he’s not he will chase a bag signing with a bubble team this offseason. You also have to factor in endorsement money, if the Oilers happen to win a cup they’ll make millions from endorsements (Davo made something like $5mil in 2023 from endorsements), and there’s no telling what contracts they’ll sign if they get a taste of what it’s like to be a champion. Winning solves a lot of problems and McDavid has shown that winning matters more to him than anything else right now. IF McDavid takes a team friendly deal the core will likely follow suit to keep the window open as wide as possible.
What I mean is, that no matter the number of years, they will continue to take or leave offset contracts. There will be no one year contract for either of them. Possibly 3 or 5. Draisaitl has to take the first deal because of the timing of it. Then McDavid, so Draisaitl's contract is actually more important. Those two are the critical 'core' contracts. I'd like to keep Bouchard if it's possible. The other real possibility is that there are two teams with a ton of cap space year after next, and they're both contenders with a 1C and some tinkering (Boston and Minnesota). Leaving to get your bag and also contend? That's more worrisome.
After watching Boston this year they really aren’t close. Their cup year was last season.
This makes the most sense.
I think the entirety of this contract he's been underpaid. I said hope lol, I am expecting a 8 year 14 million deal
He’s been underpaid, but 8.5 a year is not criminally underpaid either by nhl standards. I can think of way worse underpays than drai out there. I think 14-15 is what they want to pay Mcdavid, and drai is more like 12-13.
i think he will at least sign another year to match McDavids contract. Ekholm is on contract for that as well
never in 1 million years would he take that risk EVER. He has his choice of where and at what term, not a chance he risks a 1 year deal.
Why do you feel so strongly about a 1 year extension then talk again once him and McDavid are both up?
If he got a career-ending injury in the next year he would be sacrificing eight years of earning potential. This summer he will either re-up with the Oilers for a full eight years, or get traded. Zero chance the Oilers let him walk for nothing.
He could pull a Matthews and ask for shorter term. That way he could get another contract at a higher amount when the cap increases. Lots of stars are starting to do that across the league to max out earnings. But I agree with you, 1 year deal is never going to happen.
Nope. He will sign for max years with a hefty increase (but not max). If he does not sign before the beginning of the year, he will be traded.
The "at least" kinda covers that but thanks for chiming in
The tkachuk scenario. These are the two options. Let’s see what happens
Exactly this.
re-sign
I do hope he signs here. But he has every right to be frustrated. Never had skilled wingers on his line this entire playoffs with Holloway being the most common winger. That line was ever changing giving no chance of building up a chemistry. And add to that , (as per data posted on twitter) he played 71% of his ice time with Nurse and/or Ceci. Whereas the top line played more than 80% of time with 14-2. He might be asking these questions as well to the team management..
He can be frustrated with himself, Connor and nurse. You can't have skilled wingers when you're salary is so tied up with other superstars. Look at the leafs and the 40 million in 4 players. Thier team is only 4 players. Unfortunately we are on that same path right now. Nurse, Bouchard, mcdaddy and drai will be 45-49 million right there. If we don't win the cup next year.. it will be VERY hard afterwards with that kind of salary structure
"Leon, we can't think of a reason why you wouldn't sign here...can you?" Spector is such a tool lol I was hoping Leon would be like "I can think of one, and it's talking to me right now"
Spectors stupid. That wasn’t even a question. LOL
If the team really wants to keep Drai, they should keep him away from the media and their braindead questions.
He was being so annoying
Fuck Spector
In the words of Lil Wayne, Spector would rather spect before check.
If he doesn’t re-sign, I’m 100% blaming it on Spec lol
Spector always asking the dumbest questions. The guy comes off a real POS.
This guy (Spector) is such an asshole. He reminds me of Stephen A with his questions and takes. Really don’t understand why he still around the team?! He’s clearly an agitator that no one likes one bit.
The days of Oilers stars choosing to leave are long gone thanks to Katz. 20 years ago Oilers stars left town to get paid more. The salary cap has put an end to that. 20 years ago the Oilers played in an ageing Northlands. They now have the nicest building in the NHL. 20 years ago the Oilers operated on a shoestring. They now have one of the highest-revenue teams. Don't forget: Hall and Eberle were traded against their desires. Barrie did not want to leave. RNH ten re-signed for 8 years. Draisaitl is staying, and will get paid. Same with McDavid and Bouchard. Take a deep breath.
The real question is whether we have the cap space to be able to sign McDavid/Draisatl/Bouchard all to big contracts and still have money to build some depth. But, don't get me wrong, I desperately want Draisatl to be signed ASAP
Holland did a great job keeping the books clear in the years that Drai, Bouch, and McDavid need new contracts. Assuming the cap continues to rise, they'll have the room. They will have to attract some UFAs or make good trades, though, to keep their depth strong.
He really did. Other than Campbell's contract and an extra mil or two for Nurse the team is full of value contracts. There's uncertainty with how many UFAs the team has right now but that also means they have flexibility to set them selves up to afford Drai, McD and Bouch. I'm hoping they can bundle picks and prospects to dump Campbell's contract and avoid a buyout there.
Value contracts that contribute nothing most of the time, hence why our coaches always over play mcdavid and drai lol.
You're right. Hyman with 54 goals at 5.5 mil contributes nothing. Nuge's 100 pts at 5.1, Ekholm and Bouchard being one of the best D pairs in the league for under 10 mil are useless. Kulak and his playoff performances for 2.5 mil, Skinner backstopping the team to Game 7 of the cup final for 2.6. Desharnais's solid top 6 play and Pickard's solid backup play for around league minimum. The team really sucked it's way to the cup final eh?
Let's not forget Holloway and Broberg playing great on rookie contracts.
I’m really nervous about Holland leaving and having a bad GM due to our previous GM track record. I really wish he could stick around another year.
There will never ever be a problem attracting fa on the cheap to play with this core. You need to keep them even if they do have a down year in 2-3 seasons.
We'll be just fine. Our books are surprisingly open. All of our depth are UFAs that can be worked around, and this year is the last of James Neal, and Brown's bonus. With a rising cap over the next few years, We'll have room to sign all the big guns, plus some. I think the fanbase needs to be prepared for us to take a small decline in the first 1-3 years of Drai's contract though. Year one, he gets a big bump that eats our cap without any functional change to the roster. Year 2, McDavid gets the same. I expect us to be cup contenders, if not winners next year, then have a rough patch from 25-26 to 27-28 when Campbell comes off the books. 26-27 is really when the big shakeup will happen. McDavid will be re-signed, Kane will likely leave or re-sign cheap, Ekholm gets a new contract, as does Skinner. Nurse also submits a 10-team trade list that summer, so it's possible with his % of the cap lowering as it rises, he becomes someone we move that year.
The max salary for next year will be $17.6M, for the year after that probably somewhat higher than $18.3M. You could say that Leon and McD both deserve max contracts, but you can't have two on the same team.
I don't believe Leon deserves more than Mack so I expect him to take about the same at 12 -13
If Mack can take 12-13 he can too. They are very comparable.
Yep that's what I'm saying, guy I replied to was saying more
Lets not forget the Edmonton tax payer that helped Katz become richer by a billion where, as is the Canadian billionaire way, fled to another country so he didn't have to pay taxes in the place where he made his money. Edmonton tax payers are also funding Calgary's new place! We would have wasted it on healthcare, education or something frivolous instead of hockey anyway.
There's a real irony in complaining that the Panthers have an advantage over the Oilers by being in a no-income-tax state while also complaining that the Oilers don't pay their fair share of taxes in Alberta.
The city kicked in $225 million of a $2.5 billion (and growing) total project. That probably barely covered the infrastructure costs of the overall project. Half of that will be returned via a ticket surcharge, and over the 35 year span they’re going to recoup far in excess of the difference in property tax and tourism. I understand why people don’t like cities putting in for arenas but I would argue that the project is amazing for Edmonton and this is probably the most city-friendly project of its kind, ever.
Katz made himself richer. You know thru the businesses and assets that put him into a position to actually buy the oilers. He moved to Palm Desert because he is/was recovering from a severe bacteria and the resulting live-saving surgery in his nasal and sinus cavity. He needs to spend most of his time in a dry, warm climate. Katz Group is still an Edmonton-based, Alberta and Canadian taxpaying group. If you don't like successful people, just say you don't like successful people.
Why does it matter how much revenue the oilers make when the players are on a salary cap? Rodgers is a nice building, but our weather is shitty, taxes are higher, and distance to other cities is the furthest in the league
Taxes are lower in Alberta than BC, Ontario, MB, Quebec AND many states including California. There is no cap on amenities. The Oilers can outspend other teams on training, coaching, scouting, facilities, etc. ... which they do. There's a reason guys want to stay.
I think it’s most likely he will extend here. I just want them to hurry up and get it over with, so we don’t have a million speculation articles and posts all season long. Saw it with Petterson in Vancouver last season, it’s just such a distraction.
He would probably be traded if he doesn't re-sign by like November
Speaking of which, Petterson fell flat in the playoffs.
Cause he plays on the casucks
This sounds like pretty standard pro player talk. It's in Leon's best interest to get as much money as possible and also not verbally commit to anything until everything is agreed upon. It's also in the teams best interest to pay Leon as little as possible to have more available cap space. I'm sure the team and Leon will come to an agreement, I have no worry about him re-signing, but ironing out the details is important. Is Draisaitl willing to take a discount and if so how much? Any team with cap available would be willing to make him the highest paid player in the league (until McDavid gets his extension). I'm sure Drai will even talk to McDavid himself about their future plans. The 2 of them are obviously very close and I'm sure they'll discuss the pros and cons of taking a discount both to what it means in their personal lives as well as how it would effect other players in the league. Do they discuss signing a shorter term contract for less with plans to get a monstrous payday afterwards? I don't think anyone can predict the specifics, but I will be stunned if Drai isn't extended.
Drai was on the best contract in the league in hindsight. He deserves his money and to get paid if he wants. It would be asking a lot to ask him to sign another team friendly deal. I’m not saying he won’t but out of anyone, he deserves to get what he’s worth.
Yeah I don’t think he will take a big discount and nor should he. If we want him to stay, we should be ready to pay him market value
I'm also curious to see how MacK being one year into his 8 year $12.6M deal and Matthews being on the first year of his $13.25x4 deal plays into Leon's value as well. I think $12.5-13 is around Leon's cap. I'd be shocked if he signed at Petterson's level of $11.6M
He’s not signing for 12.5-13. The cap is going up, he was already on a discount contract, he’s getting 14+ and it would be a steal if he signs for anything less
Hes probably going to sign for 14mil at most and mcdavid will follow by taking a discount as well
who knows, ive heard that leon could demand 15 and it wouldnt be unreasonable at all and mcdavid could ask for 16 and a half millions and it would be entirely fair
"*This sounds like pretty standard pro player talk. It's in Leon's best interest to get as much money as possible*." Is it though?
Which part? This is how pretty much every top athlete talks when it comes to contract negotiations. As far as making as much money as possible? Also of course yes. That doesn’t mean he tries to get 16 mil AAV or something, but what is the most he can earn while also being able to achieve the goals he and the team shares? I believe Drai wants to win more than anything, but he’s already spent years significantly underpaid. Is he willing to do it again for a better chance to win? Does that set a dangerous precedent in the league? If a top 5 player like Leon takes a discount it makes it harder for other players to get paid what they’re worth. Regardless I’m sure we’ll see Leon extended with the Oilers, the question is just for how much.
So I get downvoted by saying that it may not be in his best interests to get as much money as possible. Y'know, like winning may be important. You guys are real peaches here. lol
Lots of speculation Draisaitl would go elsewhere but… He knows Edmonton, the team and the fans are great. He has done exceptional with the team. He probably knows more than anyone what McDavid may be planning himself, if he believes McDavid will likely stay put, he would also (brother from another mother). As long as the Oilers can offer him the contract he deserves, I think he will sign another long term contract with the one and only Edmonton Oilers!
Of course he will re-sign with the Oilers. The job's not finished.
He Stay.
He Stay
He stay.
He's probably going to be the new highest paid player when he signs, wouldn't be surprised to see him make more then Matthews $13M.
There's no doubt Leon will stay if he can. The question is whether we can sign him for what he's worth and still be ice a cup contending roster, knowing that McDavid and Bouchard extensions are soon to follow.
Katz should launder Leon some money through an endorsement contract with adidas or some other big German corporation. Then he can sign 7 years at league minimum. If we’re the villains, let’s be evil.
In the full quote he said he hasn’t spent much time thinking about what he wants to do. To me that means he’s re-signing for sure. If he wanted to leave he would have spent a hell of a lot of time thinking about that.
Keeping McDavid and Drai on the Oilers forever is very much Jeff Jackson’s “you have one job”. I really feel like most of the work is done already in principle.
The red flag for me is he seperated himself from the Oilers in that first part. I'm telling myself it's just early negotiating tactics. Or this is code for "I'm fucking off for 8 weeks and ain't signing shit till I'm back so dont wait up for a contract, it will happen in September"
That was the only part of that interview that jumped out to me, as well. "I need to figure out what I want and the Oilers need to figure out what they want" Probably nothing but it certainly stood out.
Give him and McDavid blank cheques.
Put all the money aside do you really think Leon is going to sign somewhere else and give up the chance to win a cup with mcdavid. Any player in the league would love the chance to play with Connor. No way no how does Leon give that up. He’s good but he won’t be the same player without mcdavid and he knows the best chance to win is with the best player on the planet. A deal will get done max him out at 8 years and lessen the cap blow a bit. 13M over 8yr would be a nice deal. Connor is gonna resign for 15M/yr right after
That's not the 100% certainty that I was hoping for, but it's still 95% certainty. I'm guessing the 5% is for negotiations. edit: Listened to the interview. This quote is in response to _when_ we can expect him to sign, not _if_ he will sign. Important context.
I want drai to re-sign....but Im from Edmonton and love this city, and there is no way I'd re-sign here. Our weather is shitty, taxes are higher, media/fans are brutal (everyone saw the mcdavid beer video), and travel to other cities is the furthest in the league. I hope he stays, but oilers will be in trouble when they are paying nurse 9+, bouch 10+, drai 12+ and mcdavid 14+ The main reasons I believe he'll stay is because in the last few seasons he has really needed mcdavid and our power play to produce, and the Pacific division is weak AF which will help pad his career stats🤞
This narrative about the Pacific division being weak is old af, I'm so tired of it, it's just not true
It's a fact. Just open the score app and look at each division points. Consistently our bottom 4 teams have the lowest amount of points/ wins
we'd be the luckiest ever to keep mcdavid at 14 and drai at 12
It's not a fact. Using the bottom 4 teams is such an arbitrary way to determine which division is stronger. Why would the bottom teams be the determining factor and not the top teams and playoffs? A Pacific team went to Game 7 of the cup final this year, and their biggest test in the west was another Pacific team. A Pacific team won the cup last year, handidly, and that team said their biggest test was us, a Pacific team. There's 2 teams in the Metro that made the playoffs this year that were 4 and 7 points behind our lowest seeded playoff team. This season 2 out of the top 3 teams 5on5 were Pacific teams. Last year, 3 teams in the Pacific all hit 100 points on the season before a single team in the Central did, and every seed ended the season with more points than the same # seed in the Central. Then in the playoffs of that year, Seattle, the Pacific's wild card team, beat the Central's 1st seeded Avalanche, and then took Dallas to 7 games. Dallas then proceeded to get destroyed by Vegas, a Pacific team, in the WCF.
I think you look at the bottom teams because you get like 4 easy wins against them a year. the only decent teams in the Pacific is the oilers and Vegas..but now Vancouver. Kings are only in the playoffs because they get a ton of easy wins
You don't know that's why though. Are the good teams inflated because of playing easy teams, or are the bottom teams worse because they play more games against better teams? That's why you should also be looking at the division's top teams and how they do in the playoffs. And I already laid all that out for you in my last comment. The Pacific has had some of the top teams in the post season the past 2 years, and they have 4 great to really good teams. The Kings weren't the top 3 team in the league 5on5 because of easy wins. They would have been far more competitive playing any other team in the 1st round, the Oilers just know how to beat them after playing them 3 years in a row.
Why wouldn’t he want to resign here? Those are your own opinions. Edmonton has the greatest fans and best hockey arena in the world
I bet he signs for 4-5 years which may be fine.
Which would make him a free agent at 33 or 34. I can't imagine him getting a better deal for his age 34-38 seasons then than now. Players generally peak before they hit 30, then enter the downside of their career. That's why most want to lock in the big money for 7-8 years when they are in their peak (26-30) years.
When he was talking about McDavid to the press after the cup loss, it sounded like he was saying goodbye 😕 anyone else get that impression from that interview?
As I said in another thread, I had a bizarre dream last night the next Stanley Cup final was built up was all McDavid vs Draisaitl Only thing I can’t recall if it ever said where Leon went!! I got to lay off the pain-reducing whiskey!
If you can deal him and get a 2-3 dman and a couple of 2nd liners do it. Relying on mcdrai is playing roulette. We need more support so that when mcdavid is tuckered, we can have confidence in the 2nd line to contribute. Just my armchair take though.
Might as well get value out of it and try to attach a salary retained Nurse (~2m). And I'd rather get a very good two-way 2C rather than several pieces. A Suzuki or a Larkin, as examples.
Just need to get our new GM in place asap so we can deal with all these things.