Oilers extend Leon Draisaitl
September 3, 2024
The Bizarro McDavid – Draisaitl problem
September 9, 2024
September 6, 2024 by Ryan Lotsberg
September 3, 2024 was a historic day for the Edmonton Oilers. That was the day that Leon Draisaitl’s contract extension was announced. The occasion wasn’t just significant because he’s a superstar. It was significant because he’s a superstar that chose Edmonton.
Related: Oilers extend Leon Draisaitl
When the NHL announced that Edmonton, Seattle, and Detroit were the leading candidates to host the 2025 NHL All-Star Game, Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand took to Instagram to say “lol, I can’t wait to see how many guys boycott that game”.
The league’s northern-most city has never been a desirable place for NHL players to land. It can’t boast the bright lights of New York City, or the warm weather and beaches of California and Florida. Edmonton doesn’t have the caché of being an original six city. The cold, harsh winter months and the apparent lack of things to do in Edmonton have historically acted as repellents for NHL players.
The list of players that have included Edmonton on their no-trade lists is probably longer than we could ever know. We know that Dany Heatley blocked a trade that would’ve sent him to the Oilers in 2009. Kevin Shattenkirk blocked a trade that would’ve involved Taylor Hall in 2016.
Edmonton has traditionally had trouble attracting free agents. A prominent unrestricted free agent deciding to sign with the Oilers in the prime of his career was as rare of an occurrence as a movie star dating a common peasant during the 1990s and early 2000s.
I’m not talking about players like Craig MacTavish and Ken Linseman who signed as free agents with the Oilers in the era of equalization payments before unrestricted free agency was introduced to the league in the 1995 collective bargaining agreement. I’m not talking about players like Kevin Lowe, Bill Ranford, and Marty McSorley that signed for second terms with the Oilers at the end of their careers either. Nor am I talking about others like Adam Oates, Nikolai Khabibulin, and Petr Sykora who were former stars elsewhere that signed with the Oilers near the ends of their careers as well.
Michael Nylander signed a contract with the Washington Capitals in the summer of 2007. The Oilers thought they had reached a deal with Nylander the day before he signed with the Capitals though. Clearly, Nylander chose the Capitals over the Oilers.
The players that were the closest things to prominent when they signed with the Oilers as free agents during those years were Sheldon Souray and Steve Staios. Those were good signings, but far from Earth shattering signings.
Who could forget some of the big names that requested trades out of Edmonton. Chris Pronger was traded shortly after the team’s run to Game 7 of the 2006 Stanley Cup Final. Rumours swirled around the reason for Pronger’s desire to leave the Oilers, but the bottom line was that he wanted out after just one season with the team.
Former local hero Mike Comrie earned a $3.5 million performance bonus by the skin of his teeth in 2001-02 in a season where he struggled with injuries and poor defensive play. Comrie needed a new contract for the 2003-04 season, and there was a hold out because negotiations didn’t go well. Lowe, who was the team’s general manager then, worked out a trade for Comrie to go to the Anaheim Ducks for Corey Perry AND a first round pick, but Lowe asked Comrie to pay back $2.5 million of that performance bonus to facilitate the trade. That obviously did not happen, and Comrie was later dealt to the Philadelphia Flyers.
Souray also requested a trade out of Edmonton because of the way that the team handled his injury situation, which was disgusting. I’ll put a link to his interview with John Scott about it here, but please use your discretion before listening to the conversation because Souray goes into some graphic details about the injury. Basically, the Oilers thought that Souray was milking an injury because he didn’t want to play for the team anymore; but he was in the ICU for a serious staph infection.
There are also the more recent examples of Jesse Puljujarvi and Philip Broberg, who both requested trades because of the way that their development was handled by the Oilers.
Related: Oilers decline to match offer sheets for Holloway and Broberg
Oilers fans have had their share of heart breaking departures as well. Wayne Gretzky was famously sold to the Los Angeles Kings in 1988. Mark Messier was traded to the New York Rangers in 1991. Doug Weight was traded to the St. Louis Blues in 2001 because the team couldn’t afford to keep him. Ryan Smyth was traded at the 2007 trade deadline because they couldn’t work out a contract extension in time. Taylor Hall was controversially traded for Adam Larsson in 2016, who would later leave the Oilers in free agency. Jordan Eberle was traded in 2017 as well. Oscar Klefbom’s career was unfortunately cut short due to a nagging shoulder problem.
To say that hearing Draisaitl say “I’m really, really happy and excited to hopefully be an Oiler for life” was refreshing would be an understatement. He has already played ten seasons for the Oilers, and he is committed for nine more seasons. Draisaitl has committed 19 years of his life to Edmonton. Having a superstar say things like “I take great pride in being an Oiler” and “I love nothing more than wearing that jersey and representing our city and our great, great fans” filled my heart with pride and joy as an Edmontonian and an Oilers fan.
Draisaitl’s decision is the latest symbol that times have changed in Edmonton. Elliotte Friedman had this to say on Friday’s edition of the 32 Thoughts podcast:
“I heard from some agents who told me that there were players [that] took Edmonton off their no-trade lists.”
That’s a plot twist.
Friedman also mentioned that Shattenkirk would now be interested in playing for the Oilers. Yes, the same Shattenkirk that blocked a trade to the Oilers in 2016.
The tradition of Edmonton being passed over as a desirable landing spot has slowly been changing since 2016 when Milan Lucic signed here. That turned out to be a disaster, but he was a star player in his prime that chose to come here.
Zach Hyman also chose to come here in 2021. His comments in the dressing room that were captured after the team’s Game 7 loss in the Stanley Cup Final this past June said all you need to know about how Hyman feels about the Oilers. It’s easy to see how close the team is on and off the ice even as an outsider peering in.
Mattias Ekholm didn’t choose to come to Edmonton, but he is certainly happy that it worked out the way that it did for reasons beyond coming to a contending team. “[My wife Ida] grew up in the northern part of Sweden, where there’s even more snow than there is here. She has always just been very much pro four seasons. We were at Snow Valley ski hill here. Ida was taking the kids up and down the hill. I was just there supporting. I’m not saying ‘Oh, she loves it’ just to win over the fans. It’s the truth. She’s from there. She’s grown up in it. We’ve missed having snow on Christmas” Ekholm told Sportsnet shortly after being acquired by the Oilers.
Draisaitl’s fiancée, Celeste Desjardins, is also excited about her life in Edmonton. She wrote this in an Instagram story after Draisaitl’s contract was announced on Tuesday:
“So incredibly proud of you baby. I’ve watched you pour so much love and hard work in everything you do. Your commitment and passion for the game is unmatched. I can’t wait to see what the next 8 years has in store for you. So happy to be on this journey with you and get the privilege to call Edmonton home for the next 8 years. We have created such a beautiful life there with an incredible community and I’m so excited to watch all your greatness continue there. I know how much this city and this team means to you. Keep going my love! Ich liebe dich. Let’s go Oilers!”
We saw Viktor Arvidsson and Jeff Skinner sign in Edmonton this summer for a chance to win. Adam Henrique took less money than what was offered to him by the Winnipeg Jets to return to Edmonton this summer.
Make no mistake about it: Edmonton has become a place where players want to play. Draisaitl’s contract extension is one big reason that Edmonton will continue to be a place where players will want to play for the foreseeable future. Oilers fans hope that the second big reason for that will be in place sometime next summer.
