Connor McDavid's future solidified in Edmonton after Leon Draisaitl extension

The Edmonton Oilers appear to be poised to sign Connor McDavid to a massive contract extension next summer after they secured Leon Draisaitl yesterday.

The Oilers secured one of their superstars yesterday, as top German NHL forward Leon Draisaitl signed an eight-year contract extension that kicks in after the 2024-25 season. Draisaitl was first eligible for an extension on July 1st after he officially entered the final year of his current deal, but clearly things did not play out that way.

Some speculation began to emerge regarding his status with the team as negotiations remained very quiet in the following months, leading to this surprise announcement the team made yesterday.

Some around the league were surprised by the average-annual-value of the deal, given that the Oilers have Connor McDavid as well. McDavid's contract expires at the end of the 2025-26 season, at which point he will certainly be making even more than Draisaitl's record-setting deal.

As such, the Oilers could find themselves playing close to 30 million dollars a season if not more for the two superstars. That being said, Draisaitl himself appears to be optimistic that the team will find a way to make it work, but recognizes that there is a chance he could sign somewhere else.

Notably, Oilers CEO Jeff Jackson is intimately familiar with McDavid's personal philosophy when it comes to contracts. After all, he used to be his player agent. Given his past statements about the two superstar forwards, it seems as though the team would not have made this move with Draisaitl if they were not confident that they could extend McDavid as well. As such, that certainly appears to be the plan heading into next summer, when he will be eligible to sign an extension on July 1st.

McDavid has already established himself as one of the best Oilers players of all time at the ripe age of 27. For a franchise as historic as the Oilers, that is no small feat. Through 645 career regular-season games, he already has amassed 335 goals and 647 assists for 982 points. In his nine career seasons in the NHL, he has only failed to hit the 100 point mark twice.

The first was his rookie season, which was cut short after 45 games due to a season-ending injury and the second was the shortened 2019-20 season, where he missed the mark by just three points despite playing in only 64 games. Without a doubt, his presence is essential to the long-term success of the team. As such, be prepared to see the team throw the bag at him next summer.

Source: OilersDailyConnor McDavid's former agent reveals plans for next contract

Source: HockeyReferenceConnor McDavid career statistics

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