Concerns Gone of Oilers Losing McDavid, Draisaitl to Division Rival

Leon Draisaitl is currently under a favorable contract with the Edmonton Oilers, earning $8.5 million annually until the 2024-25 season. After that, he will be eligible for unrestricted free agency for the first time in his career during the following off-season. Meanwhile, Connor McDavid is set to reach free agency after the 2025-26 season. This is good news for the Oilers in terms of their window to win now as their two big stars, along with the rest of their core, are locked in.

That said, the long-term future isn’t entirely clear, other than to understand these two players are going to earn raises and there could be challenges keeping everyone. Draisaitl and McDavid will be two of the most coveted players in recent free agency history if either reaches the market and the Oilers will have to pay up to retain them.

But, according to Oilers NOW host Bob Stauffer, the Oilers have as good a chance as anyone to keep Draisatil and McDavid on the team. In fact, he believes they have a better chance than anyone else, even teams that might have boatloads of cap space and the ability to overpay for either of the two NHL superstars.

And, there was some concern, at least according to Stauffer, that a team was out there and potentially ready to pounce.

Were the Kings Eyeing a Huge Splash?

Stauffer explained that one of the teams that he worried about for Draisaitl was the Los Angeles Kings. But, that concern is now gone. He noted, “Not after this summer, I’m not worried about L.A. anymore. They went and traded for Pierre-Luc Dubois, they did the Phillip Danault contract two years ago, and then they extended Anze Kopitar at a significant dollar amount. They’re not going to be in the Draisaitl hunt in a year from now.”

That doesn’t mean other teams won’t be interested, but the fact Stauffer mentions the Kings by name likely means he’d heard somewhere that this was a thought process inside that organization before making the recent moves they did.

As for McDavid, it’s not clear if the Kings would have tried to secure both players, but if Leon stays in Edmonton, that ups the chances McDavid stays too. Stauffer noted, “I’ll tell you, there’s one place where Connor and Leon can play together, where they’ve got the cap space to take them both. That’s with the Edmonton Oilers, remember that.”

Oilers’ Odds are Better than 50/50

During Stauffer’s discussion about the dynamic forwards and the long-term prospects of keeping both players on the Oilers’ roster, he pegged the odds at better than 50/50. Obviously, that’s not a sure thing and if the Oilers don’t win over the next three seasons, it’s hard to know where either player’s respective head will be at, but Stauffer thinks the prospect of staying together throughout their respective careers will be a major force behind their decision making.

Stauffer noted, “Do you think that shuts guys up forever if that happens?”

The Oilers are in salary cap hell right now, but the league estimates that the cap will rise to $92 million for the 2025-26 season. It will continue to rise as McDavid’s extension becomes a focus for Edmonton. Not to mention, the Oilers will have money coming off of the books for players who will either leave the team or see their salaries significantly drop. If McDavid and Draisaitl want to stay, there should be no financial concerns when it comes to keeping them.