BLOG: McLeod ready to get going after signing extension

EDMONTON, AB -With the business of hockey out of the way, Ryan McLeod is ready to continue growing with the Edmonton Oilers.

The burgeoning forward inked a new two-year deal with the Blue & Orange on Tuesday with an average annual value (AAV) of $2.1 million, providing some peace of mind for McLeod and the team moving forward.

"The goal was obviously to come back to Edmonton and I don't think any player really wants to go through arbitration," McLeod said. "I don't think it's fun for the player or the team, so happy to get it done before that and looking forward to the season."

McLeod is reaping the rewards after signing a team friendly deal last offseason to accommodate the Oilers cap crunch. On a team loaded with so much top tier talent, the 23-year-old understood the realities of doing what's best for both him and the team.

"I think on most of the teams that are hopefully looking to make a deep push in the playoffs, there's not a lot of [cap space] on a lot of those teams," McLeod said. "I think you kind of got to sacrifice a bit for the group and if you could sacrifice a bit and we win a cup, I think it all evens out.

"I'm just looking to kind of have a huge year, or this team is looking to have a huge year, and I think winning gets everyone paid and makes everyone happier. So, just looking to do that."

The Oilers 2018 second-round pick had a stop-start journey last season, missing nearly two months of action due to two separate stints on the injured list, but was still able to build off his rookie campaign. The Mississauga native set career highs in goals (11) and points (23) while playing in 14 fewer games than last year, becoming an instrumental member of the Oilers penalty kill -- scoring two shorthanded markers.

McLeod's potential is evident with his blazing speed and sneaky quick release, and his responsibility expanded last year along with his confidence. Head Coach Jay Woodcroft's trust in the centre has only grown since their time in Bakersfield, with the forwards average ice time going up by nearly 1:30 per game in 2022-23.

Entering his third full NHL season, McLeod hopes to take another step forward while staying true to the style of game that has found him success at the pro level.

"I think mostly just sticking with my roots of being hard defensively and trying to be more of an energy guy, but I think if I could keep chipping in on the offence and picking up that area," McLeod said about his goals for this season. "It obviously helped the team and helped my game too, so looking forward to doing that and just hopefully help the team any way I can."

Like the rest of the roster, expectations and motivation is at a peak for McLeod after last season. The Oilers found their stride by the end of 2022-23 -- going 14-0-1 in their last 15 games -- but it was not enough to overcome an inconsistent first half of the season and finish first in the Western Conference. To combat a similar result in '23-24, McLeod says he will be arriving in Edmonton early with much of the team in hopes of getting off to a better start and building chemistry before the Oilers season opener on Oct. 11 against Vancouver.

"I think there was a lot of ups and downs to this group. I think the thing we got to work on as a group is being more consistent and bringing in every night," he said. "I think when our team is playing at our best, no one really can hang with us, but I think the consistency needs to be there.

"Going to next season, I think we're really motivated group. I think no one's really too happy after last season know, winning one round, so I think we have a lot to prove and we're a hungry group coming in."