Germany’s biggest ice hockey star will stay with the Edmonton Oilers for another eight years and will become the top earner in the entire league. Leon Draisaitl will earn a whopping 112 million euros from 2025.
Leon Draisaitl has signed a record contract in the North American professional ice hockey league NHL. The German top star is extending his contract with the Edmonton Oilers, which expires in the summer of 2025, by a further eight years. This deal will earn the 28-year-old national striker an average of 14 million dollars per year. The Oilers announced this.
According to media reports, Draisaitl will become the best-paid ice hockey player in the world. Currently, this is Auston Matthews (Toronto Maple Leafs/13.25). “It was clear to me from the start that I would like to stay in Edmonton,” said Draisaitl, although the best German ice hockey player has never won the coveted Stanley Cup as NHL champion with the Oilers. This year, he and his club only lost in the final to the Calgary Flames.
“The city lives and loves ice hockey. The support of the fans is extraordinary,” said Draisaitl, explaining his decision. In addition, the Cologne native has not given up hope of being able to hold the most coveted trophy in the world in his hands in the coming years: “We also have a great team that has grown over the years, in which I feel very comfortable and with which we have big goals.”
“Historic day for the Oilers”
Draisaitl was the third player of his age group to be drafted worldwide in 2014. Since then, the son of former German national striker Peter Draisaitl has been setting one record after another. “This is a historic day for the Edmonton Oilers. Leon’s commitment to our team, our city and Oilers fans around the world cannot be overestimated,” said Oilers General Manager Stan Bowman. “His desire to bring a Stanley Cup title to Edmonton is at the heart of everything he does on and off the ice.”
Several records in the NHL
In a total of five seasons, Draisaitl collected more than 100 points in each of his career. He scored more than 50 goals three times and was the league’s top scorer in 2020. In the same year, he was voted the NHL’s most valuable and best player.
No German player in the NHL had ever achieved these marks before. Draisaitl was also voted Germany’s Sportsman of the Year in 2020, becoming only the second team athlete after former basketball player Dirk Nowitzki to do so.
Source: Stern
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