Leon Draisaitl contract extension rumors dismissed as "premature" by NHL insider

Leon Draisaitl was a key player for the Edmonton Oilers last year. Without him, they may have not made it to the Stanley Cup Final and probably not come within one goal of a historic comeback in the series, either. He is one of their leaders and a valuable piece of the puzzle. For that reason, rumors have sprung up about already having a potential extension in the works.

According to TSN's Ryan Rishaug, there have been some discussions. The Oilers and Draisaitl have talked about it, but there have been no negotiations. It is expected that they'll begin shortly, but no deal is imminent.

He said on X, formerly known as Twitter:

"On Draisaitl extension, sounds like the two sides have been in touch but actual negotiations haven’t started yet, those will commence here shortly. So any notion that it’s close to done is premature as of today."

With that in mind, Rishaug seems to indicate that an extension is probably coming sooner rather than later, but that the official negotiation process hasn't even begun.

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What could a Leon Draisaitl extension look like?

According to initial reports, the Edmonton Oilers and Leon Draisaitl could up their current partnership for another eight years. It's not uncommon for some sports teams to try and sign their players for a long time even if they'll be quite old when it ends (Draisaitl is 28 now).

This decision has divided fans, but it showcases that the Oilers are firmly interested in keeping their core together. There are already rumors of a looming extension with Connor McDavid, too. Those two are the key cogs for Edmonton.

The AAV would depend on a lot of factors once the two camps begin negotiation, but it would presumably be at or higher than his current $8.5 million annual salary. A potential $9 million salary would put his total contractual value at $72 million, one of the highest in the NHL.