New contract for Draisaitl and McDavid: people will be surprised

What will Leon Draisaitl’s next contract look like?

Right now, that’s the question on everyone’s lips in Edmonton. The German is eligible to sign a contract extension, and although there have been rumours of his possible departure in recent months, he is expected to stay with the Oilers.

At least, if Frank Seravalli’s recent comments are any indication.

The Daily Faceoff tipster told the radio yesterday that he expects the odds of Draisaitl and McDavid staying in town to be “higher than 90%”.

But Seravalli also said something that deserves everyone’s attention: according to him, we might be surprised at how reasonable Draisaitl’s AND McDavid’s next contract will be salary-wise.

Speaking on “Oilers Now”, Seravalli said that in his eyes, both contracts (if you combine their respective annual amounts) won’t exceed the $30M per season mark:

“The sense that I’ve gotten in talking to people close to it is that..the number, may end up surprising people a little bit in terms of how reasonable it ends up being.”@frank_seravalli on Leon’s next deal @OilersNow

– Adhi (@OilerAlert) August 13, 2024

Ultimately, we need to remember two things here.

Draisaitl’s contract runs out at the end of next season… And McDavid’s will run out at the end of the 2025-2026 season.

That said, if both players decide to sign a new contract that is “reasonable” monetarily… Everyone in Edmonton will be happy.

Why?

Because Draisaitl and McDavid would be making a club-friendly decision.

By signing for less money, Stan Bowman (GM) would have more room on the payroll to improve the lineup, and the two star players know this.

On defense, Darnell Nurse’s astronomical contract really hurts ($9.25 million per year until the end of the 27-28 season). Oh, and with the salary cap set to rise over the next few years, it’s likely to have an even greater effect…

If they want to win, this could really help things. McDavid and Draisaitl have been through the feeling of losing the Stanley Cup Final, and they’re motivated to get back on the big stage to prove to everyone that they’ve got what it takes to lift the precious trophy.

That’s the right attitude, and that’s the right mentality.

And who knows, maybe it’ll inspire other players to do the same if the results are there…

Overtime

– Even so!

The 1989/90 Cup Finals had:

– Ray Bourque
– Mark Messier
– Jari Kurri
– Cam Neely
– Craig Simpson
– Glenn Anderson
– Brian Propp
– Dave Poulin
– Reijo Ruotsalainen
– Kevin Lowe
– Martin Gélinas
– Adam Graves

The post-Gretzky Oilers had one of the most lit matchups of all time. pic.twitter.com/kpGdgBjjzB

– Big Head Hockey (@BigHeadHcky) August 13, 2024

– New contract for Yakupov in the KHL.

A new chapter in Nail Yakupov’s career. pic.twitter.com/TlRPfH8KZq

– KHL (@khl_eng) August 13, 2024

– Beautiful moment!

The ultimate Ovi line at the ‘Ovi Cup’, Alex Ovechkin and son Sergei Ovechkin…

via @rmnb_blog pic.twitter.com/F5qfqgm6dJ

– BarDown (@BarDown) August 13, 2024