Ryan Whitney foresees Edmonton Oilers' Stanley Cup success after Leon Draisaitl's $112M extension 

By ARJUN B

Modified Sep 04, 2024 04:54 GMT

Former NHL player Ryan Whitney believes the Edmonton Oilers are primed for Stanley Cup success after star Leon Draisaitl signed an eight-year, $112 million contract extension. Draisaitl has been a cornerstone for the Oilers alongside superstar Connor McDavid.

In a post on X/Twitter on Tuesday, Whitney enthusiastically reacted to the news of Draisaitl's mega-deal:

"Leon Draisaitl ain't going anywhere. What a morning in Oil Country. …this means Connor will be an Oiler for life as well."

He also believes this contract means McDavid will sign a long-term contract with the Oilers as well, predicting legendary championship parades in downtown Edmonton in the future:

“The parades in downtown Edmonton will be stuff of legends," Whitney added in his tweet.

However, former NHL enforcer Paul Bissonnette cheekily tried to temper Whitney's enthusiasm. Replying to his tweet, Bissonnette wrote:

"Pump the brakes Whit. We all know what's coming."

Bissonnette joked about Auston Matthews and Connor McDavid practicing together in Germany last week, speculating that Matthews may be trying to recruit McDavid to join him on the Toronto Maple Leafs down the road.

Fans react to Leon Draisaitl's $112M extension by Edmonton Oilers

Leon Draisaitl's whopping $112 million contract extension with the Oilers stirred up a range of responses from hockey fans on social media.

One fan said:

"Cup is coming to Edmonton."

"LETS GOOOOOOOOOOO OILERS," another fan said on X.

"You heard it here first!! Oilers win 4 cups in the next 8yrs!" one fan commented.

However, not all reactions have been positive.

One fan expressed concern about the team's salary cap management:

"Parades for what? Pride? Oilers are going to be paying nurse mcdavid and draisaitl 40m combine. That will leave 55m to fill out the roster. Bouchard will get 8-10 so 45m for 19 players. 2.3m a player. At least those first TD picks they have are cheap. Oh wait."

"Overpaid. He doesn’t suck… but sorry he’s not top 10 by any objective measure" another fan wrote.

"Leon didn’t have a point in 5 straight Stanley cup final games and got 14M and is the highest paid player ever. What happened to the sport I love?" one fan added.

Do you think Draisaitl and McDavid will lead the Edmonton Oilers to Stanley CUp success next season? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.