Hockey

McDavid, Draisaitl and Bouchard asked other Oilers players to ask for less money
Emma Wilson
McDavid, Draisaitl and Bouchard asked other Oilers players to ask for less money
Credit: Getty Images

In Edmonton, it was a season of two halves: pre-Kris Knoblaugh and post-Kris Knoblaugh.

Obviously, the second half of the season was much more glorious, as Edmonton started winning and even made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Final. But it was an eventful summer for the Oilers. First, they lost Ken Holland (and hired Stan Bowman) and lost the services of Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway, who accepted offer sheets from the St. Louis Blues.

Bowman did trade Cody Ceci, but was unable to match the offer. Now, the GM must turn his attention to the biggest deal of all: Leon Draisaitl. Draisaitl will become an unrestricted free agent in July and will not negotiate during the season.

According to information from the 2 Mutts Hockey Podcast, the German will be in Edmonton in the next few days, and it will be an important week for both sides as the fictitious deadline for agreeing terms with the player is September 19.

That leaves less than a month to go. Will he wait for his good friend Connor McDavid's contract extension before extending his own, though?

According to the podcast, the contract expected to be signed will be for 8 years, $13.5 million per season. And if it became a reality, Drai would become the highest-paid annual player of all time, surpassing Auston Matthews' $13.25 million.

Yet Draisaitl, McDavid and Bouchard had conversations with the team's other players a few days after their elimination. The topic of conversation: taking less money to keep the core together and win a Stanley Cup in the next nine years. Easy to say when you're already guaranteed $10 million no matter what…

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Evander Kane, Zach Hyman, Adam Henrique, Connor Brown and Mattias Janmark all get the message. Now will the three future top earners listen to their own demands?

If Draisaitl were to sign for $14.5 million, McDavid for $16 million and Bouchard for $12 million, the Oilers would pay $54 million to four players (including the $9.25 million to Darnell Nurse). Still according to 2 Mutts Hockey Podcast, the goal is to get the figure down to $49 million.

If their goal is really to win the Stanley Cup while giving their GM salary flexibility, it's in their hands, not those of the club's third-line guys…


Overtime

– Wow.

– Worth a look.

– Lane Hutson has some fun with the Habs' social media managers.

– Stay tuned.

– Ah well.

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