Edmonton Oilers sign Leon Draisaitl to record breaking contract

Last night, the 2 Mutts Podcast reported that Leon Draisaitl and the Edmonton Oilers will announce an 8 year contract extension today for $14M per season. With this contract, Leon Draisaitl will become the highest paid player in the NHL.

Signing Draisaitl to his contract at this exact moment makes the most sense for the player and the team. He likely just got back to Edmonton after a short offseason vacation, and Draisaitl's agent had said that they will not negotiate during the season. With Captain's Skates beginning in the next week or so and preseason just around the corner, now is the right time to make a deal official.

It will be interesting to hear if Draisaitl will be taking deferred money in his contract that could reduce the cap hit of his annual $14M salary. Seth Jarvis of the Carolina Hurricanes recently signed a deferred-money deal, one that could be applied to Draisaitl too.

Regardless of the money or term, this is a fantastic day to be an Oilers fan. Leon Draisaitl is arguably the second best player in the NHL, only behind his teammate Connor McDavid. He's scored at over a 100 point pace the last 6 seasons on a bargain contract that only paid him $8.5M a year, now he's earned his raise to be in line with the most elite players in the NHL.

Source for salaries and stats: PuckPedia - Leon Draisaitl