One year and one day after signing his own eight-year, $112-million deal, Leon Draisaitl is still fielding questions about contract extensions.
“Of course I want him here as long as possible, I want (to win) with him,” Draisaitl said of his friend and captain at the Edmonton Oilers’ informal skate on Thursday. “It’s about him and his family, and they’re going to make their decision based on what’s best for them.
“I know he loves it here, I know he feels at home here, but there’s a lot of things that play into a decision like that. So hopefully something gets reported soon.”
It’s a diplomatic answer from the Oilers’ No. 2 man, who also expressed a reluctance to comment on the matter. But it does little to ease the chatter around McDavid and the lack of urgency to put pen to paper on a new deal.
The three-time Hart Trophy winner became eligible to sign an extension on July 1, with his current eight-year, $100 million contract set to expire at the conclusion of this season.
Under McDavid and Draisaitl’s leadership, the Oilers have made the Stanley Cup Final in back-to-back seasons, only to fall each time to the Florida Panthers. McDavid reiterated at Hockey Canada’s Olympic orientation camp last week that he has “every intention to win in Edmonton.”
“We’re kind of just leaving it be, we’re not really chirping him right now,” Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner added. “It’s not really in our spot to lead him one way or the other.
“Just trying to be as supportive as possible and do this thing this year, you know?”
For his part, Draisaitl said he recognizes that despite their successes the past two seasons, “it starts from zero,” and the team will have to work just as hard to reach the Final for a third straight year.
“Every team is different. It takes time to build a team,” Draisaitl continued. “I think on paper, our identity is going to shift a little bit, but you never really know.
“I like the moves that we made, I like some young guys coming in, going to bring a lot of energy.”
High praise for Podkolzin
Having spent a fair few games centring Vasily Podkolzin, Draisaitl knows what the young winger is capable of — and he’s impressed with what he’s seen.
“Podzy does a lot of things that a lot of people who don’t really understand hockey, they don’t see it. He does a lot of work for me and it lets me have a lot of time with the puck and sets me up with great situations where I lack that in my game,” Draisaitl said of the 24-year-old. “He does a lot of great things for me personally and I really, really love playing with him. He’s a great player. He’s really, really underrated with the puck, really underrated hockey sense, great hockey mind.
“I think there’s a lot more offence, a lot more finish. Hopefully it’ll come out. But he’s a player that doesn’t need to score to be really, really valuable and effective.”
The Moscow native played all 82 games with the Oilers last season after he was traded to Edmonton by the Vancouver Canucks last August. He scored eight goals and 24 points, the latter just two shy of the career-high he hit in his rookie season.
His 211 hits also represented a career-high and ranked first among all Oilers players — an effort that did not go unnoticed.
“His work ethic is as good as I’ve seen in 12 years in this league. He’s the ultimate professional. He would do anything for our group, he blocks shots, he does all the little things right. Those are the guys you want to see get rewarded more and I think there’s a lot more for him offensively,” Draisaitl said.
Skinner vying for Team Canada nod
The Oilers’ No. 1 goaltender isn’t letting a snub from the Olympic orientation camp get him down — he wants to represent Canada at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Games.
“I want to set the bar high. I want to go to the Olympics. I want to be a goalie for Team Canada,” Skinner said when asked about his goals this season. “I want to be able to get back to the Stanley Cup and finish the job.”
Skinner, who’s had his fair share of struggles despite overall team success, understands that in order to achieve those goals, he needs to come out of the gate strong.
“Being able to use [playoff experience] moving forward here and having a good start to the season, those are the goals.
“I definitely believe I’m at the part of my career where I get to really dig into my game and the way that I want to play. Just the type of experience I’ve been able to have. I know how to go into a game, I know how to be ready, I know how to win games. I know how to win games in challenging situations, I know how to bounce back from really tough situations, so I’m just going to use that to my advantage.”
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