Dennis Schroder congratulates 'Money men' Leon Draisaitl for $112M Oilers extension

By ARJUN B

Modified Sep 05, 2024 06:10 GMT

Leon Draisaitl signed a record-breaking $112 million contract extension with the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday, drawing congratulations from fellow athletes across disciplines. Among those extending their support was NBA star player Dennis Schröder, who took to Instagram to celebrate his fellow German's achievement.

Posting a picture of Draisaitl, Schröder captioned it with,

"Money Men @drat_29 Congrats Brodie.. well deserved. Best to do it."

Image souce Draisaitl's Instagram

Draisaitl, clearly appreciative of the support, responded to Schröder with a simple yet warm reaction.

"Thanks my guy @ds17 fg," he captioned

The new contract will kick in for the 2025–26 season and extends through 2033. Draisaitl netted 41 goals and 65 assists in 81 regular-season games last season, followed by an impressive playoff run with 10 goals and 21 assists.

NHL analyst on Leon Draisaitl's contract extension

Leon Draisaitl’s contract extension carries an average annual value of $8.5 million, making him the highest paid player in the NHL on a per-year basis.

While the contract locks up one of the league's top talents in Draisaitl long-term, NHL analyst Frankie Corrado believes the German forward could have gotten even more money on a shorter deal.

"My reaction was, it makes sense. It makes sense that they got it done," said NHL analyst Frankie Corrado said to 'First Up on TSN1050'. "The only thing that I guess was different in my mind, compared to the contract, was that I thought he might have gone medium-term on the deal.

"Maybe a four or five-year deal. See where the team is at, see where the cap is at."

Corrado explained that with Draisaitl's talent, his numbers will likely remain high over the next several seasons. A shorter contract would have allowed him to potentially sign an even more lucrative deal down the road as the salary cap increases.

"Because a player like that is going to continue to put up big numbers. So, you know, the money is always going to be there for him, and with the cap going up, and hopefully, we don't have to live in a flat cap world anymore, he could have cashed in even more in four or five years' time," Corrado added.

While the long-term security is valuable, Corrado believes Leon Draisaitl left money on the table, opting for the 8-year pact rather than a shorter bridge deal when he hits his prime.