Edmonton Oilers’ Hopes Rest in Jeopardy with Leon Draisaitl’s Impending DepartureEdmonton Oilers’ Hopes Rest in Jeopardy with Leon Draisaitl’s Impending Departure The Edmonton Oilers have once again failed to bring home the Stanley Cup, marking the sixth consecutive disappointment for their star duo, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. However, this year’s loss is particularly significant as Draisaitl’s contract expires at the end of next season. Despite his remarkable achievements, including five 100-point seasons and three 50-goal seasons, Draisaitl has yet to earn a salary commensurate with his contributions. He is currently the sixth-highest-paid player on the Panthers, but his production rivals that of players earning $12 million annually. The Oilers’ financial constraints make it unlikely that they can afford to retain Draisaitl’s services at a fair market value. They are already burdened by long-term contracts for Darnell Nurse and Jack Campbell, which limit their salary cap flexibility. Ten players are set to hit free agency in July, and any significant raise for Draisaitl would come at the expense of addressing other team weaknesses. Moreover, McDavid’s own contract expires in 2026, and the Oilers will need significant cap space to entice him to stay. Draisaitl’s relationship with the Edmonton media has also strained in recent years. He has been labeled “pissy” and often appears uninterested in his role as a team spokesperson. This may make him more receptive to offers from other teams, who can offer him a fresh start and a chance to be the number one center. The impending departure of Draisaitl would mark the end of an era for the Oilers. While Gretzky and Messier’s departures ultimately resulted in championship banners, the long-term impact of losing two of the game’s best players simultaneously will be far less satisfying for Edmonton fans. The Oilers face a daunting task in rebuilding their team without Draisaitl. They may have to settle for less dynamic players and accept that the prospect of a Stanley Cup title may slip further out of reach.
Rest in peace, oil country. It will never happen again.
This is the last time the sun rises over Edmonton on the morning after the city’s beloved NHL team — fueled by the helmeted version of Batman and Robin, aka Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl — is eliminated from the playoffs .
The latest disappointment of the spring was made official Monday night, when the Florida Panthers defeated the Oilers 2-1 in Game 7 of their first Stanley Cup Final appearance since 2006, which also ended in a seven-game loss to the Carolinas Hurricanes.
It’s the sixth time the Dynamic Duo has failed to make the jump seat of a parade limo, following first-round losses to Chicago and Winnipeg, previous second-round games against Anaheim and Vegas, and a blissful, albeit fruitless, trip to the third round against Colorado that ended in a sweep two springs ago.
However, we can say definitively here that there will be no seventh.
There’s no chance.
But probably not for a reason that will make the ‘City of (long ago) champions’ smile.
Because instead of the suits in the corner offices finally quelling fear and delivering rings by addressing chronic problems with deep scoring, inconsistent defense and porous goaltending, it’s far more likely that it will be “Why can’t we win by 97 and 29?” The question will be put out of its misery by one of the clients themselves.
“Boy Wonder” won’t be there.
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For those unaware, this play-off exit ended the penultimate season of an eight-year contract that the productive German, now 28, signed as a precocious 21-year-old.
And considering the five 100-point seasons and three 50-goal seasons Draisaitl has produced since signing the extension — not to mention the scoring title and MVP he’s won — he’ll be looking for a massive increase in the average salary of $8.5 million he took home. since.
It’s not an unfair expectation.
Considering that of the six NHL players with more than 106 points in 2023-2024, none had a smaller hit. And only one player in the entire league, his Crusaders teammate in the blue and orange cape, has more points since the contract took effect in 2017.
Draisaitl is second, again behind McDavid, in points per playoff game (1.80 to 1.53 through Game 6) over that same stretch, well ahead of Nathan MacKinnon (1.28) in third place and even further ahead Mikko Rantanen (1.25) and Nikita Kucherov (1.23) in fourth and fifth place.
And his career playoff point total (108) is good for third overall since 2016-17, despite having played far fewer postseason games (73) than the only non-teammate ahead of him – Kucherov – who has played 102, while Rantanen and MacKinnon have played 81 apiece.
The difference?
Those other three guys, including four Cups, averaged $12 million in 2023-2024.
Andrew Bershaw/Icon_Sportswire
So it’s no exaggeration to label Draisaitl – the Panthers’ sixth-highest-paid player in the series – as the best superstar bargain in the sport.
It is a fact.
It is another fact, or a series of them, that makes it intolerable for him to remain seated.
While the salary cap will increase at the usual rates, there simply aren’t enough dollars to cover what Draisaitl would justify, even as a “hometown discount,” as the Oilers continue to suffer from the $9.25 million dents that Darnell Nurse until 2030 and spending $5 million on AHL starter Jack Campbell through June 2027.
Ten players of varying importance will hit free agency in July alone, meaning any significant raise for Draisaitl would come at the expense of the factors that helped end the last ‘Cup or bust’ streak. Not to mention the amount of money it will take to even entice McDavid to stay once his deal is completed in 2026.
But let’s be honest: there’s a good chance Draisaitl won’t want to stay anyway.
While he and McDavid publicly seem like nothing less than content kittens and haven’t strayed far from the company line of “we want to win here,” the same can’t be said of Draisaitl’s relationship with the rabid Edmonton media. He was branded “pissy” in a dig with Hall of Fame writer Jim Matheson two years ago and often comes across as impatient and uninterested in his role as team spokesman.
While writers in New York, Boston, Philly and elsewhere faced a daily challenge with aggressive questions, the combination of a change of scenery, a huge contract windfall and the chance to make a real run as a C-1 instead of 1 -A yet, a farewell press conference at Rogers Place seems more like a no-brainer than a gamble.
That’s why it will feel more like a rebrand than a reorganization next winter (or sooner) for the Oilers as they come to grips with his impending departure and try to recoup pennies on the dollar in return, effectively ending the most maddening era in franchise history.
Bruce Bennett Studios via Getty Images Studios/Getty Images
While it remains difficult for those of a certain age to remember legends Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier leaving town due to a one-sided trade, their jerseys were eventually raised to the rafters next to the five championship banners they helped purchase.
In the case of Draisaitl and McDavid, the long-term feelings will be far less satisfying, even if the statistics are equally as heady and the Hall of Fame plaques are guaranteed.
It was hard enough being tricked by the likes of Darcy Kuemper and Adin Hill into enabling competent but less dynamic Nazem Kadri and Mark Stone types. But knowing that there is a good chance that an excellent couple like 97 and 29 will never find their way to Northern Alberta again, this makes Last dance reboot much more anxious.
Evan Rodrigues. Sasha Barkov. Thanks, Oilers fans. Drive home safely.
Meanwhile, the best one-two punch in hockey – certainly lately and perhaps ever – shakes hands, offers clichés and makes plans for a midweek locker cleanout.
No cup.
Just arrested.
