Edmonton Oilers general manager Stan Bowman said that he has started talks with Leon Draisaitl regarding a new contract as he is scheduled to enter the final season of his eight-year, $68 million contract that he signed in Aug. 2017.
“I had a good conversation (with Draisaitl's agent Mike Liut) and we're starting things off and the timing on that will be what it will be,” Stan Bowman said, via Derek Van Diest of NHL.com. “I don't have an update of where it's going to be or the timing on that, but there is nothing negative to report, certainly.”
Bowman said that he wanted to make Draisaitl “an Oiler for life” when he was hired as the general manager of the Oilers. This is a unique challenge for Bowman, as he has to think about a looming negotiation for Connor McDavid as well, who is scheduled to become a free agent following the 2025-2026 season. Bowman discussed both of the players and how important they are for the Oilers to keep long-term.
“Leon is a super-talented player, a huge part of what we're doing, and he has been and will be for some time and that hasn't changed at all,” Bowman said, via Van Diest. “I think it's really hard to find stars in the NHL, so when you have them, the goal is to keep them. … The same thing with Connor. Those guys are a huge reason the team's had a successful run so far, and they will be a big part of the future too.”
Stan Bowman using experience with Blackhawks in role with Oilers
While this is a bit of a unique situation to have two superstars who need contract extensions soon, Bowman has been through something similar to this before with the Chicago Blackhawks when they had Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane.
“There are some similarities for sure; Kane and Toews were younger than Leon and Connor were, so they hit the ground running in their young years,” Bowman said, via Van Diest. “Most of the success we had were their first five, six or seven years in the League. Where Connor and Leon are now, they're most extablished in their careers, not just them, [Zach] Hyman and [Ryan] Nugent-Hopkins, you go down the list and there is some pretty good experience with this group.”
The Oilers came within a win of the Stanley Cup last season, and they are hoping that the same core of players can come back and come out on top this time around this upcoming season. Hopefully by opening night, Draisaitl's contract will be settled and there will be no looming questions going into the season.
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