Draisaitl signs 8-year, $112 million contract with Oilers

EDMONTON -- Leon Draisaitl signed an eight-year, $112 million contract with the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday. It has an average annual value of $14 million.

The 28-year-old forward is entering the final season of an eight-year, $68 million contract he signed with the Oilers on Aug. 16, 2017, and could have become an unrestricted free agent after the season.

His latest long-term contract is a natural step in a career he said he would like to have both begin and end with the same team that he has spent 10 seasons with after being selected with the No. 3 pick in the 2014 NHL Draft.

"I take great pride in being an Oiler and always obviously wear my heart on my sleeve, but I love nothing more than wearing that jersey and representing our city and our great fans," Draisaitl said. "I'm really, really excited and happy to hopefully be an Oiler for life.

"I don't know anything other than Edmonton and I feel super proud and excited to wear that jersey every single day. I think we're building something really special and that's just something I want to continue to be a part of and hopefully get it one step further."

His contract comes after a postseason run that saw the Oilers reach Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, losing 2-1 to the Florida Panthers after having trailed the series 3-0.

"It took some time, it was a pretty gut-wrenching feeling for a little bit," he said. "There is a sense of being proud of what we did, but at the end of the day, nobody talked about the Edmonton Oilers. Our goal, what we want is on the last day of the season for everyone to talk about us. Obviously, you can't be much closer than what we were.

"We've gathered a lot of experience, a lot of positive signs over our playoff run and we have a big chunk of the group back. I think we're ready to attack again and ready to apply these messages and these moments that we've learned along the way last season, into this season."

Draisaitl said there was a feeling of unfinished business on the ice with his teammates after their Cup run.

"I have a hard time picturing myself in a different jersey, and I know things change," he said. "I'm aware of that and I understand the business side very well. But for me, I wanted to be an Oiler for life, hopefully. And for as long as I can."

Draisaitl's 106 points (41 goals, 65 assists) in 81 regular-season games ranked seventh in the NHL last season, and he was third in the Stanley Cup Playoffs with 31 points (10 goals, 21 assists) in 25 games to help Edmonton advance to the Stanley Cup Final.

He has 850 points (347 goals, 503 assists) in 719 regular-season games and 108 points (41 goals, 67 assists) in 74 playoff games. His NHL-leading 110 points in 2019-20 earned him the Art Ross Trophy, Hart Trophy (most valuable player) and Ted Lindsay Award (most outstanding player as voted by the NHLPA).

"This was my top priority since I took over a month or so ago and it's a great time for everybody in Edmonton and all the Oilers fans around the world," said Stan Bowman, who was named general manager July 24. "He's a competitive guy, he wants to win. And he wants to win for the Edmonton Oilers."

Since 2018-19, Draisaitl ranks second in the NHL in points (643) behind teammate Connor McDavid (726), and second in goals (272) behind Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs (294).

"Players like Leon are special, there's not many people in the world that can play hockey like he does," Bowman said. "And there's no way we can ever replace what Leon brings to the table. So, he's been a huge part of our team. He has been and will continue to be. For me, it was never a question. Certainly, there's going to be challenges in the future, but that's for us to figure out down the road."

Draisaitl has helped the Oilers qualify for the playoffs in five straight seasons and six of his 10 with the team. Prior to his first season in 2014-15, Edmonton had not made the playoffs in eight seasons.

Since entering the NHL, Draisaitl is third in points behind McDavid (982) and Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning (855), and second in power-play goals (146) behind Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals.

But what matters more to Draisaitl is winning the Stanley Cup.

"The team that drafted you, you develop a love for that team, and for me it was always the Oilers," Draisaitl said. "Obviously we haven't gotten the job done yet, which makes it to me even more special. We're going to do this together, we're all pulling on the same rope. I'm excited to be a part of it and excited to keep chipping away at the ultimate goal. We all know what that is.

"Just over the years, what we've built with the group, how tight we are with our group. All the new guys that are continuously coming in, they all say the same things about our group, about our city. They all love playing in Edmonton and I think we've created that over the last couple years, and that's very special and I'm looking to continue that."