Germany's Leon Draisaitl signs record NHL contract

The National Hockey League's (NHL) Edmonton Oilers announced on Tuesday that they have signed Leon Draisaitl to an eight-year contract extension worth $112 million (€101.5 million).

This stands to make the German superstar's salary-cap hit the highest in NHL history at $14 million per season. Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs currently holds that distinction, as his deal carries an average annual value of $13.25 million.

The deal comes with the 28-year-old Cologne native having a year left on his current eight-year contract. 

Had he not signed an extension, he would have become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, 2025 – meaning he would have been free to leave the Albertan capital for the highest bidder.

The new contract comes into effect for the 2025-26 season and runs through 2033.

"This is a historic day for the Edmonton Oilers," the club's general manager, Stan Bowman, said in a statement.

"Leon's commitment to our team, our city and Oilers fans everywhere cannot be overstated. His desire to help bring a Stanley Cup title home to Edmonton is central to everything he does both on and off the ice."

Winning Stanley Cup priority No. 1

Draisaitl had his best season in terms of silverware in 2019-20, when he won the Art Ross Trophy as the league's most valuable player, the Hart Trophy as top scorer and the Ted Lindsay Award, for the most outstanding player as voted by the NHL Players' Association.

However, throughout his career, he has repeatedly stated that winning the Stanley Cup, which goes to the NHL playoff champions has always been his No. 1 goal.

He, alongside fellow superstar Connor McDavid, fell just short of that goal this past season, when the Oilers lost Game 7 of the finals to the new Stanley Cup champions, the Florida Panthers.

"For me, it was always the Oilers," Draisaitl said on a video call with reporters a few hours after the deal was announced.

"Obviously we haven't gotten the job done yet, which makes it to me even more special. We're going to do this together. We're all pulling on the same rope here. I'm excited to be a part of it and excited to keep chipping away at the ultimate goal, and we all know what that is."

Consistent scorer

Draisaitl scored 106 points (41 goals, 65 assists) in 81 games during the past regular season. He added 31 points (10 goals, 21 assists) in the Oilers' 25-game playoff run.

The forward, who was selected third overall by the Oilers in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, has put up 850 points (347 goals, 503 assists) in 719 career regular season games. In the playoffs he has 74 games played, with 101 points (41 goals, 67 assists).

Getting Draisaitl extended had been generally seen as the No. 1 priority for the Oilers' front-office staff this offseason.

Draisaitl has represented Germany at five World Championships, but has often been unable to, due to Edmonton still being in the Stanley Cup playoffs in May, when the Worlds are held annually.

Edited by: Wesley Rahn