Leon Draisaitl now highest paid NHL player

The Edmonton Oilers have secured forward Leon Draisaitl with an eight-year, $112 million contract extension, announced earlier today. The deal, which carries a $14 million annual cap hit, surpasses Auston Matthews’ contract as the highest total in the NHL.

Draisaitl’s new contract ensures he will remain with the Oilers through the 2033-2034 season. Without the extension, this season would have been the final one on his previous eight-year contract, which he signed in 2017.

The centreman is coming off a standout performance, with 106 points in the regular season and a playoff run that concluded with a heartbreaking Game 7 loss to the Florida Panthers.

Connor McDavid, the Oilers’ captain, is entering the penultimate season of his own eight-year deal and is set to become a free agent in the summer of 2026.

Oilers Leon Draisaitl against the Florida Panthers in SCF Game 2
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