Edmonton Oilers sign centre Leon Draisaitl to eight-year extension

By The Canadian Press on September 3, 2024.

Edmonton Oilers' Leon Draisaitl waits to take a faceoff during the second period in Game 7 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup second-round playoff series against the Vancouver Canucks, in Vancouver, on Monday, May 20, 2024. The Oilers have signed star centre Draisaitl to an eight-year contract extension, the club announced Tuesday.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

EDMONTON – The Edmonton Oilers have signed star centre Leon Draisaitl to an eight-year contract extension, the club announced Tuesday.

The contract has an average annual value of US$14 million, the highest in NHL history.

Draisaitl, 28, played 81 games last season, scoring 41 goals and 65 assists for 106 points. He added another 10 goals and 21 assists through 25 playoff games, helping propel Edmonton to its first Stanley Cup final appearance since 2006.

He was set to become an unrestricted free agent next summer.

In 10 seasons with the Oilers, the German national has tallied 347 goals and 503 assists for 850 career points.

Draisaitl was the Oilers’ first-round selection (third overall) in the 2014 NHL Draft.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 3, 2024.