Leon Draisaitl Is Now The NHL's Highest Paid Player, Here's How That Could Complicate Things For The Oilers
We've got a new highest-paid player in the National Hockey League and his name is Leon Draisaitl.
One of, if not the biggest thing on the to-do list for new Edmonton Oilers GM Stan Bowman to get done on the heels of the team's run to the Stanley Cup Final last season is locking down the team's two biggest stars, Connor McDavid and Draisaitl.
Bowman managed to check the latter off on Tuesday with news that Edmonton had struck an 8-year deal with an AAV of $14 million with the German-born superstar, which makes him the highest-paid player in the league, taking over the mantle from Toronto Maple Leafs superstar Auston Mathews and his deal with an AAV of $13.25 million.
That's a huge win for the Oilers because at times it seemed like Draisaitl might be tempted to test free agency next summer after his current contract wraps up.
So, locking him in for 8-years is a big deal.
But, what's interesting is that Bowman will soon have another deal to work on, and that's with Connor McDavid, whose current contract ends after the 2025-26 season.
You'd have to expect that McDavid's deal will be bigger than Draisaitl's, and while the salary cap has been going up at a nice clip the last few years — something that you'd expect to see continue — the Oilers will likely have more than a quarter of their payroll tied up in their two big dogs if and when McDavid re-signs.
Both players deserve it, but that doesn't leave a whole lot of room for Bowman to bring in or keep other high-end players.
Fortunately, Zach Hyman is signed long-term before he popped off last season with 54 goals, and carries a very team-friendly $5.5 million cap hit through the 2027-28 season.
According to PuckPedia, players like Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Evander Kane are on similar deals, while D-man Darnell Nurse's $9.25 AAV deal through the 2029-30 season could turn into a real albatross for the team if his play doesn't turn around from a terrible postseason this year.
Look no further than the Toronto Maple Leafs to see why dumping a ton of money your top 2-4 players isn't a cheat code for playoff success. So, the Oilers will have to try to balance keeping their biggest stars in the fold while also leaving room to sign the right supporting and depth players if they want to win their first Stanley Cup since 1990.