Septmeber 3, 2024 by Ryan Lotsberg

A cornerstone of the Edmonton Oilers franchise has been secured. The Oilers announced that they signed Leon Draisaitl to an eight year, $112 million contract on Tuesday. The contract will kick in for the 2025-26 season. It carries an annual average value of $14 million dollars, which will make Draisaitl the highest paid player in the league.

🔒 LEON'S LOCKED IN 🔒

The #Oilers have signed forward Leon Draisaitl to an eight-year contract extension beginning in 2025-26 with an average annual value of $14 million. pic.twitter.com/wERUyneHA7

— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) September 3, 2024

The third overall pick from the 2014 NHL draft has 850 points in 719 games with the Oilers. Draisaitl has added an impressive 108 points in 74 NHL playoff games. The Cologne, Germany native won the Art Ross, Ted Linday, and Hart Trophies in 2020. Draisaitl finished no worse than fourth in league scoring from 2018-19 until last season when he finished seventh. He ranks second in the league in points since 2018-19 behind only his running mate Connor McDavid.

Related: The Nuclear Option – Part One

Draisaitl ranks second in playoff scoring in the last three seaons. He finished second in playoff scoring with 32 points in 2021-22. That was beyond impressive not only because he only played in sixteen games, but because he did what he did essentially on one leg after being taken down awkwardly by Mikey Anderson during a scrum in the team’s first round series against the Los Angeles Kings. Draisaitl famously put up seventeen points in five games against the Calgary Flames in the second round that year. He finished third in playoff scoring with 31 points in 25 games during the Oilers’ run to the Stanley Cup Final this past season.

Draisaitl has a ridiculous skill set. He’s a threat to score every time he’s on the ice. Draisaitl ranked in the 89th percentile in shot volume last season according to NHL Edge, and he ranked in the 97th percentile in shooting percentage. He’s a volume shooter with elite accuracy. That’s a lethal combination. He’s an elite playmaker as well, as evidenced by the fact that he ranks third in the league in assists since 2018-19 (371). His backhand passing specifically is off the charts good. 

He uses his 6’2”, 209 lb frame to protect pucks as well as anyone in the NHL. NHL Edge has Draisaitl’s top speed in the 92nd percentile, which is deceiving because of his size. 

The German superstar impacts every part of the game for the Oilers. He ranks third in the league in even strength points since 2018-19. He can centre his own line, and he can play either wing when required. It’s true that he does get time with McDavid, but he is most often asked to drive a line with inferior linemates. He’s never had a true scoring winger to call his own. 

Draisaitl leads the league with 124 powerplay goals since 2018-19. The next closest competitor is at 88 powerplay goals in that timeframe. If you want to go back further than that, Draisaitl ranks behind only Alexander Ovechkin in powerplay goals since Draisaitl’s rookie season in 2014-15. He’s known for his lethal one-timer from below the right faceoff circle. Draisaitl can score from seemingly inconceivable angles. He’s one of the reasons why the Oilers set a record for powerplay efficiency in the 2022-23 season (32.4%), and that they have the league’s best powerplay percentage from 2014-15 through 2023-24 (23.7%) according to NHL.com.

He doesn’t get used on the penalty kill routinely, but Draisaitl is a valuable asset for the penalty kill as well. He is often asked to take faceoffs on the penalty kill. The most telling thing for me is how often Draisaitl is used as the only forward while killing a five-on-three situation. Draisaitl’s fantastic stick positioning and elite hand-eye coordination allows him to excel in that role.

As an added bonus, Draisaitl is always good for a few hilarious sound bytes every season because of his sarcastic humour. He’s also a great leader and teammate, which we can see through the strong friendships he has with his teammates like McDavid and former Oiler Cody Ceci.

It’s a relief to not have to deal with the drama that would have come with Draisaitl entering the coming season without an extension in place. The deal expires after the 2032-33 season, at which time Driasaitl will be 37 years old. This ensures that Draisaitl will be an Oiler through the prime of his NHL career. That’s one important piece of business down. Two more remain. Evan Bouchard and Connor McDavid are next.

Related: The Nuclear Option – Part Two