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On Tuesday (Sept. 3) the Edmonton Oilers signed star forward Leon Draisaitl to an eight-year contract extension worth $112 million, for an average annual value (AAV) of $14 million. The extension kicks in on July 1, 2025, when Draisaitl’s current eight-year deal is set to expire.
The contract has the highest AAV and second largest total value (behind only the 13-year, $124 million deal that Alex Ovechkin signed with the Washington Capitals in 2008) in NHL history.
Draisaitl now has the biggest contract ever signed with the Oilers, surpassing team captain Connor McDavid, who has two seasons left on his eight-year, $100 million deal.
Considering there was a time when Edmonton couldn’t even afford to retain its top players, for the Oilers to now have two homegrown stars with nine-figure deals seems surreal.
However, since the NHL imposed a salary cap in 2005, the Oilers have now handed out eight contracts worth at least $40 million. Here’s a look at all of them:
Leon Draisaitl – $112 Million
The Oilers avoided going into 2024-25 with the risk of having Draisaitl hitting free agency at season’s end by inking the 28-year-old to a historic contract on Tuesday.
Draisaitl will be age 37 when the deal expires in 2033, and if he remains with the Oilers through the length of the contract, he will have spent 19 seasons in Edmonton. The current franchise record for most seasons playing at least one game is 15, shared by Kevin Lowe and Ryan Smyth.
Connor McDavid – $100 Million
Fresh off winning the Art Ross Trophy and Hart Trophy, both for the first time, in 2016-17, McDavid signed an eight-year extension worth $100 million on July 5, 2017. At the time he was the fifth player in NHL history to receive a nine-figure contract.
When the extension kicked in for the 2018-19 season, McDavid became the NHL’s highest-paid player based on AAV, at $12.5 million per season. He has since been surpassed by Colorado Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon, whose latest contract carries an AAV of $12.6 million, and now Draisaitl.
Darnell Nurse – $74 Million
On Aug. 6, 2021, one season before he would become eligible for free agency, Darnell Nurse signed an eight-year contract extension worth $74 million on Aug. 6, 2021, the biggest deal Edmonton has ever given a defenceman.
The deal kicked in for the 2022-23 season, making Nurse the seventh highest-paid blueliner in the NHL based on AAV, at $9.25 million per season. He will be 35 years old when the contract expires in 2030.
Leon Draisaitl – $68 Million
The 2017 offseason was monumental for the Oilers: only a few weeks after they locked up McDavid long-term, they did the same with Draisaitl, inking the restricted free agent to an eight-year, $68 million deal on Aug. 16, 2017. The contract’s AAV of $8.5 million was tied for 10th highest in the NHL in 2017-18.
Draisaitl wasn’t entirely proven at the time, with less than 200 regular season NHL games under his belt and having scored at least 20 goals in a season just once. But he has more than delivered on the contract, with five seasons of at least 105 points since 2018.
Taylor Hall – $42 Million
On Aug. 22, 2012, Taylor Hall became the first Oilers player to break the $40 million barrier, signing a seven-year contract extension worth $42 million. The deal kicked in on July 1, 2013, after his three-year entry-level contract expired.
Hall still had four years left on his contract when the Oilers traded him to the New Jersey Devils for defenceman Adam Larsson on June 29, 2016. Larsson was going into the second season of a six-year, $25 million contract. Hall would win the Hart Trophy in 2018 as a member of the Devils.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – $42 Million
Barely two years after he walked across the stage as the first pick in the 2011 NHL Draft, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins signed a seven-year contract extension worth $42 million on Sept. 9, 2013. The forward’s deal kicked in for the 2014-15 season.
Notably, the deal carried an AAV of $6 million, which was exactly the same as both Hall’s contract as well as the six-year, $36 million extension also signed in 2012 by Jordan Eberle, thus ensuring that Edmonton’s three young guns of the time were being paid equally.
Milan Lucic – $42 Million
Milan Lucic received what is still the biggest contract that Edmonton has ever given to another team’s free agent, on July 1, 2016, when the big forward left the Los Angeles Kings to sign a seven-year, $42 million deal with the Oilers.
Lucic, who had just turned 28, was coming off the fourth 20-goal season of his career. But his offensive production declined in Edmonton, bottoming out at six goals in 2018-19. On July 19, 2019, after just three seasons with the Oilers, he was dealt along with a conditional draft pick to the Calgary Flames for forward James Neal.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – $41 Million
On June 29, 2021, Nugent-Hopkins re-signed with the Oilers, agreeing on an eight-year contract extension, that at $41 million and an AAV of $5.125 million is actually worth less than the deal he signed back in 2012.
https://twitter.com/EdmontonOilers/status/1409923449888272384
The deal, which includes a no-trade clause, expires after the 2028-29 season when Nugent-Hopkins will be 36. He is on pace to break the record for most seasons playing at least one game with the Oilers in 2026-27.
If everything goes as the Oilers and their fans hope, the next big contract Edmonton signs will be another historic one. With McDavid’s current contract set to expire after the 2025-26 season, the Oilers will want to get him extended next summer, and the next contract that he signs will no doubt be the biggest in NHL history.
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TODAY'S BEST
'In what world does this make sense?’: Oilers and $63M forward
According to some, throw out the idea that the Edmonton Oilers should pursue Max Pacioretty. A veteran forward who has earned over $63 million over the course of his NHL career has yet to sign an NHL contract and was recently mentioned in a post by David Staples as a possible fit. In a recent post, the Journal noted, “All of the top NHL unrestricted free agents have already signed contracts, but there’s one big name player still available that makes good sense for the Edmonton Oilers to pursue.” Responses have been varied, with a few quite vocal about the Oilers not following Staples’ advice. “In what world does this make sense?????” writes a commenter on a recent post for The Hockey Writers. Another commenter wrote, “Pacioretty is a good journeyman player but he is injury prone now, late in his career. Oilers might be lucky to get 40 games out of him. They should look elsewhere instead of taking a chance on Patches.” Tyler Yaremchuk of Oilers Nation chimed in and said, “He scored five goals in 37 games last year with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Can’t stay healthy, very old, very slow.” Yaremchuk then went on a rant, listing several Oilers forwards who would be better than Pacioretty. What About Pacioretty on a PTO? Is there any reason that a team that is looking to get younger and faster, and move out depth pieces that were older and less productive than expected, would revert back to last summer’s strategy? It seems like an odd choice on the surface. Something would have to happen that would make giving Pacioretty a look risk-free. That means only a PTO. Even at that point, should he agree, it would require him to be willing to sign a two-way contract for the league minimum.
Cowboys make questionable move amid Micah Parsons stalemate
The Dallas Cowboys extended one of their stars Sunday, just not the one fans wanted them to pay. At Cowboys training camp Saturday, Dallas fans serenaded owner Jerry Jones with "Pay Micah [Parsons]" chants. The EDGE, of course, is set to play on the fifth-year option of his rookie contract this season. Jones must not have been listening. He gave tight end Jake Ferguson a new contract instead. Dallas and the 26-year-old pass-catcher agreed to a four-year, $52M contract extension, via NFL Media's Ian Rapoport. This move seems head-scratching. Parsons has won the 2021 Defensive Rookie of the Year and earned two first-team All-Pro nods since the Cowboys took him with pick No. 12 in the 2021 NFL Draft. The 26-year-old EDGE also finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting during the 2021 and 2022 seasons. Ferguson, meanwhile, is solid but not elite. In three seasons with the Cowboys, the 2022 fourth-round pick has made one Pro Bowl and has never finished with more than 761 receiving yards in a season. An extension for Parsons will devour future cap space. The Cowboys may be worried about that after giving quarterback Dak Prescott (four years, $240M) and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb (four years, $136M) long-term deals in 2024. Pittsburgh Steelers EDGE T.J. Watt signed a lucrative three-year, $123M extension on July 17, making him the league's highest-paid non-QB. Parsons could command a similar contract. If cap space is Dallas' primary concern, however, why would it extend Ferguson? He's now set to be the NFL's seventh-highest-paid TE. The Cowboys waited to extend Lamb and Prescott just before the start of the 2024 season. They may be doing the same with Parsons. The star defender has said, "Ownership is always gonna make [contract negotiations] drag out." Regardless, the Cowboys should've paid Parsons before Ferguson. That's a much bigger priority for the team.
Celtics Rumors: Damian Lillard, Neemias Queta, Ben Simmons
Damian Lillard was briefly linked to the Celtics after being waived and stretched by the Bucks, but that possibility came and went quicker than a Jrue Holiday text. Turns out Holiday did shoot his shot. “As soon as I was waived … he sent me the eyeball emoji,” Lillard said at his introductory presser in Portland. “I already knew where I was pivoting to when he sent it, but I didn’t want to say nothing too soon, so here we are.” “Here” is back in a Trail Blazers uniform. And while Lillard isn’t expected to play this season as he recovers from a torn Achilles, the idea of him as a long-term Jayson Tatum insurance policy briefly crossed Boston’s radar. That was about as far as it got. As MassLive’s Brian Robb wrote, the Celtics never had the financial path to compete with Portland’s three-year, $42 million offer. Boston only has the $5.7M taxpayer MLE to work with — and using that might’ve meant shedding some other salary just to stay under the second apron. Who’s starting at center? In a new mailbag, Robb projects Neemias Queta as the likely starting center if the roster stays put. That would give Boston a lineup of Queta, Jaylen Brown, and Derrick White, with the last two spots up for grabs. Payton Pritchard vs. Anfernee Simons at point guard? Sam Hauser vs. Georges Niang at forward? Maybe Josh Minott sneaks into the mix? Yeah, it’s July. But hey, the debates have begun. No Davison, slim Simmons ddds Boston officially parted ways with JD Davison this week, ending a three-year run with the former second-round pick. According to Robb, the team just didn’t see NBA-level growth. And what about that open roster spot? Ben Simmons is out there. But Robb pegs the odds of Simmons landing in Boston at just 10-20 percent, mainly because he’s expected to get better money (and probably a bigger role) elsewhere. More NBA News Rumors
Warriors still positioning themselves for Giannis Antetokounmpo blockbuster
Things have largely gone cold on the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade front, but that does not mean teams are not thinking of the possibility of that changing. Tim Kawakami of the San Francisco Standard noted that the Warriors are being cautious in negotiations with restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga, as he could be possible trade bait if Antetokounmpo is traded by the Milwaukee Bucks. The Warriors are adamant about not giving away Kuminga for less than his full trade value, which is why his situation remains unresolved with August looming. Kuminga and the Warriors have yet to agree on a contract, and it remains unclear when the situation will be resolved. He has a $7.9 million qualifying offer on the table, and signing it would allow him to approve any trade he is involved in. If he signs a multiyear extension, he would not be eligible to be traded until January, which could complicate things if Antetokounmpo decides late in the offseason that he wants a move. Presumably, Kuminga would be a key part of any trade the Warriors make involving Antetokounmpo. However, with no market materializing, there seems to be a growing chance he could remain with the team next season. The former No. 7 overall pick averaged 15.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 0.8 steals per game last season. He appeared in 47 games, making 10 starts and averaging 24.3 minutes per game. However, he has been unable to consistently lock down a major spot in coach Steve Kerr’s rotation, which reportedly led to some tension between the two last season. Antetokounmpo, meanwhile, still seems unlikely to be traded, but teams are still going to prepare for the possibility.
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