Today news has been reported looking at the future of the Edmonton Oilers and potential contract extensions for Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Evan Bouchard. Despite being in the Stanley Cup Finals there is already one eye on the offseason for the Edmonton Oilers. With Leon Draisaitl heading into the final year of his contract in 2024-25 contract extension talks have started to come up. According to NHL insider Frank Seravalli, the team wants to lock up their core three players Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Evan Bouchard. <q>The Oilers need to make hay right now because they've got McDavid, Draisaitl and Bouchard only adding up to $25 million. The next iteration of this when everyone is locked up, because to me it's when but not if</q> With extensions expected for all three players Frank Seravalli decided to dive into what the cap hits could look like. After some discussion with Bob Stauffer a number around 40 million for the three players was the estimate. <q>Stauffer: I will tell you this: It's my belief that the Draisaitl camp will want the maximum. They're not looking for the Auston Matthews four year deal here. They're looking at a long-term deal. Seravalli: My point is two years from now when the Oilers take the ice, those three same guys are going to add up to $40 million bucks. Stauffer: $16 (million), $14 and $10? Seravalli: Yup. That's my projection.</q> With these numbers in mind, the Edmonton Oilers would have a roster structure similar to the Toronto Maple Leafs of the last several seasons. However, the main difference would be that the Oilers have a defenseman mixed in with Evan Bouchard as opposed to the Maple Leafs' four-forward core. Heading into the 2024 offseason the Edmonton Oilers' top priority will be a Leon Draisaitl extension. Once that is completed then working on improving the defense around Evan Bouchard and their goaltending becomes paramount. Source: The Edmonton Journal <a href='https://edmontonjournal.com/sports/hockey/nhl/cult-of-hockey/edmonton-oilers-to-sign-draisaitl-mcdavid-and-bouchard-for-40-million-per-year-nhl-insider-predicts?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR25UI6PIJN3tdHMztVzByCvflll07VJxGnsjyOHUAI1H7lCLHQv45J7PvU_aem_ZmFrZWR1bW15MTZieXRlcw' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>Edmonton Oilers to sign Draisaitl, McDavid and Bouchard for $40 million per year, top NHL insider predicts</a>