For the Edmonton Oilers and their heartbroken superstar Leon Draisaitl, the summer has come too soon, forcing them to quickly move on from Monday's gut-wrenching 2-1 Game 7 loss to the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final. According to The Athletic's Chris Johnston <q> Edmonton is not inclined to let the 28-year-old center simply play out the final year of his contract and walk directly into free agency next July, according to multiple league sources familiar with the front office's view of the situation. </q> <div align='center'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/oilersaccess/status/1805689136486978027'> </a></blockquote></div> The Oilers want to keep their championship window open, but that'll come with a price to pay. If Draisaitl were to stay for the 2024-25 season without a new contract, he may leave in free agency next Summer just as Conn Smythe winner Connor McDavid could in two years from now. Losing both players would be devastating for Edmonton and can't happen. <q> Leon Draisaitl summed up @EdmontonOilers emotions: Tough to put into words right now. It's really, really hard. You're 1 shot away from maybe winning it and now you've got to go through 82 regular season games again and play well enough to even get a kick at it. </q> <div align='center'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/wyshynski/status/1805606181164986777'> </a></blockquote></div> Although McDavid and Draisaitl are not a package deal, they are closely linked. They have the two best points-per-game totals among all NHL players over the last five years, both in the regular season and playoffs. They've helped each other win individual awards and both are determined to lift the Stanley Cup together. As Draisaitl approaches 30 soon after his next contract begins, he's likely looking at a long-term deal that covers the prime of his NHL career. The Oilers' ideal scenario is to keep their dynamic duo together long-term. Source: Athletic <a href='https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5590557/2024/06/25/leon-draisaitl-extension-trade-oilers/' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>What I'm hearing about Leon Draisaitl and the offseason decision that could blow up the Oilers</a>