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Ryan Whitney outlines Leon Draisaitl's expiring $68M contract as Edmonton Oilers' offseason priority
Leon Draisaitl and the Edmonton Oilers suffered the heartbreak of a lifetime as they lost the Stanley Cup Final in seven games to the Panthers. Following the series loss on Monday, NHL analyst Ryan Whitney made sure to point out that the Oilers need to renew Draisaitl's contract.
Leon Draisaitl has one season left in his eight-year, $68,000,000 deal originally signed in August 2017. Given his contributions in Edmonton, a contract renewal to retain the player just beyond the next season will be wise from a sporting perspective.
Ryan Whitney feels the same and he made his feelings known after the title-deciding game on Monday. He tweeted:
“I knew it was bad news for the Oil when Bob didn’t skate yesterday. He was an animal tonight. Panthers showed up and went balls to the wall tonight. Amazing series. Need Leon to sign extension This is not the end for Edmonton they will get one. Happy for Paul Maurice.”
His fellow podcast mate Paul Bissonnette also expressed his thoughts on the Oilers loss postgame. Biz wrote:
“What a fucking game. Warriors. All of em. Hockey wins. Congratulations to the Florida Panthers on an incredible season. Stanley Cup Champions.”
Leon Draisaitl thinks they can get ‘a little bit hungrier’
In the post-game interview, Leon Draisaitl opened up on the Oilers’ narrow loss to the Panthers. He voiced his disappointment and said that while the team had plenty of chances, they just couldn't find the winning goal.
When asked about Conor McDavid, Draisaitl didn't hesitate to call him the greatest player ever. He said:
“He's the greatest player to ever play in my books. So many things that a lot of people don't see that he does—his work ethic. He single-handedly turned our franchise around pretty much. Just love sharing the ice with him, and he's just a really, really special person.”
Draisaitl also admitted the physical and emotional toll of the playoffs. He spoke about the heartbreak of coming so close to victory.
“You're one period, one shot away from maybe winning the thing, and now you gotta go through 82 regular season games again and play well enough to even get a kick at it. Yeah, it's hard right now,” Leon Draisaitl said.
When asked if the loss made his side ‘hungrier’ for the title, he said:
“Yeah, I mean, I think so. You can always get a little bit hungrier, but I think for the most part, it's just learning lessons. We've done that over the last couple years very well and implemented those lessons.”
“It's tough to drag a lesson out of this one when you're really one shot or two shots away from accomplishing everything,” he added.
Draisaitl also praised the Edmonton supporters and called them the best fans in the league. It is clear that the player loves the fans and the club, but whether a contract extension will be reached this off-season remains to be seen.
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