Leon Draisaitl is on the verge of becoming the NHL's highest paid player, and now a top insider has revealed how close a deal truly is. The 2023/24 season didn't end the way the Edmonton Oilers would have hoped, but with their two stars leading the way, the belief is that this team can win a Stanley Cup soon and break Canada's drought. They've got some huge decisions to make however, with Leon Draisaitl to hit free agency in the summer of 2025, and now, reporter Bob Stauffer has revealed the latest on extension talks between he and the Oilers. <q>«It would not surprise me if Leon were to be signed to an extension shortly,» Stauffer reported on the day of Bowman's press conference.</q> <div align='center'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/oilers_central/status/1816277459056353745'> </a></blockquote></div> Things could get contentious leading into the regular season however, as Draisaitl's agent recently gave the team an ultimatum, claiming that if a deal isn't done by the end of August, he's confident heading into the next season as a pending free agent. <q>«There's no rush yet, but either it happens quickly, by end of August, or it doesn't work out at all,» Poner said . «It will become clear whether Edmonton wants him or not».</q> Whether or not the extension comes with the Oilers or he tests out free agency, Draisaitl is expected to get a huge pay raise, and after earning $8.5 million AAV over the past few years, he may become the NHL's highest paid player. There's still plenty of time before the talk of Draisaitl becoming a free agent becomes reality, but if the Oilers can't lock him up and they fall short of the Cup again, there's a real possibility that he's in another uniform for the 2025/26 season. Source: House of Hockey <a href='https://www.houseofhockey.net/nhl-team/edmonton-oilers/massive-update-regarding-leon-draisaitl-contract-situation-with-oilers' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>Massive update regarding Leon Draisaitl's contract situation with Oilers</a>