According to overseas sources, star hockey forward Leon Draisaitl is close to signing a new contract with the Edmonton Oilers from the Canadian-American NHL.
Photo: Codie McLachlan / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP / Profimedia
Leon Draisaitl leads Edmonton in the playoffs.
The 28-year-old native of Cologne should become the second highest paid hockey player in the world.
According to information from the hockey podcast 2 Mutts, which is close to club sources, the German should sign a contract with Edmonton for another eight years with an annual salary of 13.5 million dollars.
“His signature is one of my priorities. I want him to remain an “oiler” until the end of his career,” said the club’s general manager Stan Bowman in the aforementioned podcast.
“I confirm that negotiations are still ongoing. However, I will not be more specific, I will only say that we have gone in the right direction. When any news is known, we will inform about it.
Draisaitl scored 106 Canadian points last season and was the seventh most productive player in the entire competition. He has crossed the 100-point mark five times in his career.
His contract ends in the summer of 2025 and it is clear that he wants to be properly rewarded for his performances. The current eight-year contract brings him an already solid 8.5 million dollars annually.
If predictions about his new contract and salary come true, the $108 million combined would be the second highest in the NHL. Only defenseman Shea Weber in Utah currently has a more valuable contract, whose fourteen-year contract totals $110 million.
Draisaitl would also surpass Auston Matthews (Toronto), who earns $13.25 million annually, in average annual salary.
However, the German attacker will probably soon be surpassed by teammate Connor McDavid, whose contract expires in two years and thanks to the new one, he could earn up to 16 million per season.
The financial side of Draisaitl’s contract is not the only factor for which the management of Edmonton is pressing time. The signing should take place by September 19, after which the skater from Europe wants to concentrate on the training camp before the season. He informed some time ago that he does not intend to discuss the future during it.
The ambitious team from Alberta, Canada, finished just below the top last season, as they lost only in the finals of the Stanley Cup playoffs, and had to bow their heads to the Florida Panthers after a seven-game run. The last time Edmonton won the famous trophy was in 1990.
Source: sportweb.pravda.sk
