Oilers podcaster predicts Draisaitl leaving money on the table in new deal

Rumors have been rampant over the last couple of weeks that a deal is imminent between Draisaitl and the Oilers. These rumors grew after Oilers prominent reporter Bob Stauffer stated that it will likely be an 8 year deal.

During this episode of the Jason Gregor show, Yaremchuk explains that he thinks that number will come in around $13.4 million per year and that it will still be the eight-year term. This sudden drop of money which would equate to $400,000 per season would be viewed to help keep some money on the table to help keep the Oilers competitive.

That number certainly seems insignificant considering the numbers better being thrown around for Evan Bouchard and Connor McDavid.

Draisaitl had a slight dip in his production last year as he played 81 games, scoring 41 goals with 65 assists for 106 points. Compared to 2022-2023 where he scored 50 two goals and 76 assists for 128 points it appears that he chose to work on his defensive game as he was a + 26 this year and was a + 7 in 2022.

This contract extension is vital for the Oilers as Jeff Jackson and new general manager Stan Bowman would like to keep this group together as they were two goals from the Stanley Cup.