TALKING POINTS: Draisaitl & Bowman speak following extension

Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl and General Manager & Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations Stan Bowman spoke to the media on Tuesday morning after the German signed a long-term extension with the club to remain in Edmonton for eight more years.

Read the full transcript & watch the media availability in its entirety below.

Bowman’s delivers his opening remarks:

“Welcome, everyone. It's great to be on the call here today. I just want to start by saying that I'm thrilled to be able to announce that Leon's going to stay an Edmonton Oiler. This has been my top priority since I took over a month or so ago, and it's a great time for everybody in Edmonton and for all Oilers fans around the world. I've had the pleasure of watching Leon as a fan for the last couple of years. As you know, he’s great to watch with all the special things he does on the ice. He's a competitive guy, he wants to win and he wants to do it with the Edmonton Oilers, which is the way I feel as well. So with that said, I'll turn it over to Leon.”

Draisaitl responds with his opening comments:

“First of all, thanks everyone for joining today. I'd like to thank the Katz family – Daryl, Renee, Harrison, Chloe, the kids – for believing in me and committing to me and my family for a long time. I take great pride in being an Oiler and obviously I wear my heart on my sleeve, but I love nothing more than wearing that jersey and representing our city and our great fans.

"I'm really, really happy and excited to hopefully be an Oiler for life.”

Draisaitl on always wanting to remain with Edmonton throughout contract negotiations and his commitment to the city for eight more years:

“Of course there's a lot of chatter in these conversations and negotiations, I think we all know that, but as far as I'm concerned, it's always been very respectful and there were no real big hiccups.

“Just what we've built over the last couple of years and how at home I feel in Edmonton. I don't know anything other than Edmonton and I feel super proud and excited to wear that jersey every single day. And like I said earlier, I take great pride in playing for our city, for our fans and I think we're building something really special and that's just something that I want to continue to be a part of and hopefully get it one step further.”

Bowman on the Oilers allocating a large percentage of their salary cap to a handful of players and if teams can build capable depth around them:

“Well, I think the simple answer to that question is yes. The more important part of it is that players like Leon are special. There aren’t many people in the world who can play hockey like he does. There's no way we could ever replace what Leon brings to the table, so he's a huge part of our team. He has been and he will continue to be. For me, it was never a question.

"Certainly, there are going to be challenges in the future, but that's for us to figure out down the road. I think right now the most important thing was to make sure, number one, that he wanted to be in Edmonton. I think that's something we should all focus on as well. He made this decision. Certainly, it was my number-one priority, but it took a lot of cooperation with Leon wanting to be in Edmonton. That was obvious to me after talking to him – he just wants to win. I'm getting to know him better and the thing that really stuck out to me is that he's super competitive and what drives him is winning. So when I hear those things, we'll figure the other stuff out down the road. But for now, we're just thrilled that he's with us.”

Draisaitl on if there was a moment he realized Edmonton was the right place for him despite having the potential to hit free agency in July 2025:

“I think that just evolved over time. I think as a young kid, as an 18-year-old, you start to really love being with a team and especially the team that drafted you. You develop a love for that team, and for me, it was always the Oilers. Obviously we haven't gotten the job done yet, which makes it even more special for me. We're going to do this together. We're all pulling on the same rope here again, I'm just excited to be a part of it and excited to keep chipping away at the ultimate goal, and we all know what that is.

“Over the years, what we've built with our group – how tight we are with our group and all the new guys who are continuously coming in – they all say the same things about our group and about our city: they love playing in Edmonton. I think we've created that over the last couple of years and that's very special. We’re looking to continue that."

Bowman on Draisaitl’s extension being the first step towards keeping Edmonton’s Stanley Cup window open for the foreseeable future:

“Definitely. I think that's true. I mean, all you have to do is watch the team on the ice to see what an important role he plays on the team; not just last year, but the last several years as well. So when you look at that, there's no question that we wanted to make sure he stays, and it's our job to try to surround him with the best players we can and give our team the best chance to win. But absolutely, I think you stated it very well.”

Draisaitl on the balance of signing a contract he thinks is fair value while leaving room for Oilers management to utilize extra cap space in other areas:

“Yeah, it's a fine line and I think that's where negotiations normally get to a standstill and they don't go any further. But I think both sides early on were very respectful in the way this was negotiated and the wants and needs of both sides. I think you're bang on. We know how you can't win with two, three, four-man rosters. That's just not a thing. It's just not possible in this league. This league's too good. So I'm very happy that it’s done, it's over with and I can focus on playing my game and continuing to get better and play my best hockey – especially when it matters most.”

Draisaitl on negotiating a separate deal than McDavid but having conversations about their futures in Edmonton:

“That's still the case. Connor's going to do what's best for him, right? That's just the way this works and how it's supposed to work. I did what I thought was best for me personally. Do I hope that Connor follows along? I'd be lying [if I said no]. But of course, I want him to stay on board and I want all our pieces to stay on board. But at the end of the day, I did what was best for me. We've had numerous conversations about it, but obviously, I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't want him to stick around for a long time as well.”

Draisaitl on building a culture in Edmonton with his teammates and how that factored into his decision to remain an Oiler:

“Yeah, a lot. We've created friendships over the last couple of years. Our wives, fiancées and girlfriends have created friendships – forever-lasting friendships – over the last couple of years and that's really, really special. Our main priority is to win of course, you can ask Connor, Darnell, Nuge, Hyms and everyone – but I think what we've created off the ice is almost just as important. People want to come here and when they do come, it's hard for them to leave. I think we've created that over the last couple of years, and that's something that we're really, really proud of. The main priority is to win the Stanley Cup, but we’ve certainly made some lifelong friends along the way.”

Draisaitl on the Oilers processing their Game 7 defeat in the Stanley Cup Final:

“Yeah. I mean, it took some time. You know, that was a pretty gut-wrenching feeling for a little while. Obviously there's a sense of being proud of what we did, but at the end of the day, nobody talked about the Edmonton Oilers, right? Our goal and what we all want is the last day of the season for everyone to talk about us, and we took some really big steps this season. I think we added some really, really good pieces this summer. Of course, unfortunately lost some really good players, but that's part of the business. I really like the way our team looks right now, and I'm excited to get it going.

Bowman on negotiations with Draisaitl and the changing landscape of the NHL when it comes to the value of contracts and the rising salary cap:

“I think I'll touch on something Leon mentioned earlier, which was that it was great dealing with [Octagon’s Mike Liut and Andy Scott]. I thought it was a very respectful negotiation, and as with any negotiation, there are always some challenges that you have to navigate together. But I thought it was a great process and I enjoyed working with them.

“I think the financial landscape of the league is a little different than it's been in a positive way. The revenues have been tremendous in the last few years and coming out of the pandemic, there was the situation of paying back the players and paying back the owners for those first years of the pandemic. We're beyond that now and the revenue projections from the league look very healthy, and I think that bodes well for where the salary cap is headed.

“There's always some uncertainty with that, but I think it’s different than say five or ten years ago when the cap was going up each year, but maybe it was going up artificially a little bit. I think now there's more certainty that it is going up based on the revenues, so I think that's a great sign for the league in general. And as the revenue goes up, the players’ share of that goes up and the top players get compensated the way they should. They make a difference and they're the ones who are the special players, so they deserve it.”

Draisaitl on if he considered signing a mid-range deal (four-to-six years) rather than an eight-year contract:

“Early on when you start talking to your agents, you go through every scenario. But for me, again, I think this goes back to just the commitment from my side to the city and our team. I have a hard time picturing myself in a different jersey and I know things change. I'm aware of that and I understand the business side very well. But for me, I want to be an oiler for life, hopefully, and for as long as I can. I thought the option of an eight-year deal fit the best for me."

Bowman on his experience building a competitive roster around two or more highly-paid players:

“Well, certainly the math is what it is. So you have to have low-priced players coming into your team each year, whether that's through a young player who's moving out of the junior ranks, the American Hockey League, or if you can find players like the Oilers did this past year finding some experienced players taking less money on shorter-term deals. I think you have to have the ability to bring in players that are going to help support not only on the ice with what they can do, but also with their salary cap structure.

“I think drafting, developing and finding young players who can contribute. I think that's something that's going to be important to us as we move forward and that's going to be a focus for our group in the front office over the coming years to make sure that we do a good job not only drafting and developing players, but getting players ready to move into the NHL lineup that are not making top salaries.”

Draisaitl on knowing what it takes to win a Stanley Cup after coming within one game of a championship last season:

“Excuse my language, but it sucks thinking about it over and over again. Obviously you can't be much closer than what we were, but at the end of the day, you're empty-handed. 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 apply these messages and apply these moments that we've learned along the way last season into this season. But of course, we all know that you have to get there.”

Bowman on how Draisaitl’s extension could impact McDavid’s pending negotiations for a new contract (eligible July 1, 2025):

“Yeah, each negotiation is separate, so I don't know how it will impact it and we're going to treat that as a separate contract.

“We'll be talking to Connor and his agent at the right time, so I think all I will say is that it shows that we want to win. We believe in Leon's contribution to the team – not only in recent years but what it's going to be coming up – and hopefully that's a sign that we're moving forward to try and win. Like Leon said, we couldn't get much closer than last year, so we just want to take that next step. That would be the message, which is that we want to win and we're going to do everything in our power. Hopefully, that's going to be something that Connor likes to hear. But the negotiation itself will be separate. It may be different or it may not be. I don't know. But I’m looking forward to having that conversation.”

Draisaitl on if there’s any extra pressure he’s going to put on himself with a new contract:

“There's pressure of course, but I don't know about the word pressure. I think it's a responsibility more so than pressure.

“I'm aware of my responsibility. I'm aware of the commitment that Daryl, the Katz family and the entire Oilers organization have given me. It's my time now to give that back in a way, and I'm aware of my responsibility. Is it pressure? In certain moments, there is pressure. I'm going to get paid a lot of money to be able to handle those moments.”