Jason Gregor and Frank Seravalli got into a discussion about the future contracts for Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl on their show the DFO Rundown this week and both believe these stars are staying in Edmonton, despite calls from the outside they might consider moving on if the team doesn’t win or if other teams offer huge money. But, because of the optics of where they are on a competitive team, how close the two players are as friends, how badly they want to win in Edmonton, and the salary cap, neither host saw it as realistic that McDavid or Draisaitl would be moving on.
Seravalli noted: “Anytime anyone’s ever even mentioned the idea, I’ve sort of laughed it off. I think there’s a 90-some percent chance that both McDavid and Draisaitl are Edmonton Oilers for a long, long time.”
Gregor responded: “Yeah, I’d be surprised. They’re thick as thieves. They get along great. I think they’re highly competitive. They challenge one another. They support one another. And you know I think…”
Seravalli: “Where else could you go to play with that player.”
That’s the thing about signing one of Draisaitl or McDavid… you need to have room to sign the other one. And, the only teams that have space to do so are clubs like Anaheim, Chicago, Nashville, Detroit, and Buffalo. Even then, it’s not as though those teams have $25 million in cap space. Anaheim has the most with $19 million and a good chunk of that is about to go to Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale.
The Oilers Have Everything These Two Players Need, Except The Stanley Cup
The Oilers have already committed a big chunk of their cap space to these two players and in the process become a very competitive team that has surrounded these stars with players who are locked into solid deals. Among them, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Zach Hyman, Evander Kane, and Darnell Nurse (who also happens to be McDavid’s best friend.)
Oh, and the Oilers just hired McDavid’s long-time agent to run the show moving forward in Jeff Jackson. There’s no doubt that Jackson will be doing everything in his power to keep his former client and good friend in Edmonton.
Next: Brandon Sutter Joining the Edmonton Oilers on a PTO
Pingback: Maple Leafs' Addition of Jones Draws Talk of Likely Waiver Claim
Pingback: Jagr's Return to Penguins: A False Rumor Fans Hoped Was True