The Edmonton Oilers fell one game shy of winning a Stanley Cup championship, and now that the season is over, many have wondered what the future holds for the team’s top two stars, Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid.
The 28-year-old Draisaitl has one more year left on his contract and is eligible to sign an extension on July 1, but his recent remarks after Edmonton’s Stanley Cup loss to the Florida Panthers have left many wondering if he’s committed to staying with the team beyond 2024.
“I’m going to give you the most boring answer here — I’m obviously going to sit down with my agents here and talk to the Oilers and see what their plan is, see what our plan is, and go from there,” Draisaitl told reporters Wednesday, via NHL.com. “It’s something going to take a little bit of time [to think about] what I want, what the Oilers want and what everyone wants and go from there. Edmonton has the only chance to sign me, so I guess they are first. I’ll leave it at that. Obviously, I love being an Oiler more than anything.”
Draisaitl is a linchpin of the Oilers offense. He’s scored 100 or more points in five of the last six seasons, including three 50-goal seasons, and he and McDavid form arguably the most dynamic scoring duo in the NHL.
The Athletic’s Chris Johnston reported on Tuesday that the Oilers don’t want to enter next season with Draisaitl’s contract situation hanging over their heads, insinuating that things will get resolved this summer, whether he’s signed to a lucrative extension or is traded to another team.
“Edmonton is not inclined to let the 28-year-old center simply play out the final year of his contract and walk directly into free agency next July, according to multiple league sources familiar with the front office’s view of the situation,” Johnston wrote.