The Most ‘Expensive’ Man In NHL Hockey

[@hockeypsychology]

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[@daltondrouillard9308]

No

[@jamiepike6909]

McDavid is also a beneficiary of Draisaitl. It’s not one way.

[@ebrietasbiscuit]

Your mom is one way

[@Unholy_Louie]

@@ebrietasbiscuit As opposed to...?

[@jamiepike6909]

@@ebrietasbiscuit yes she is. I heard your mum is anyway as long as people stump up the $5.

[@guerinlv13]

He literally states that he has proven he can make players around him better, even the best player in the world (which you have to assume he’s referring to mcjesus). Settle down let’s see you make a vid like this.

[@ajb31]

@@guerinlv13buddy never said he could make a video like this blud. your point doesn’t make sense there

[@kool9813]

Something no one is talking about is that he gets paid 16.25 million dollars this year. That’s his market value right now. He gets paid less later for the 14 mill cap hit. He could have demanded a 16mill cap hit. While all us oilers fan wish it was lower this is not a bad deal. And he has proven he is worth it. He played in the cup final with a broken rip and multiple broken fingers. He could barely shoot. He also played with a high ankle sprain in another run. And still puts up playoff numbers better than his regular season production. Edit also the cap is going up. Matthew’s was being paid a higher percentage of the cap when he signed his deal than this drai deal.

[@s.w9935]

TL;DR

[@pat9353]

⁠​⁠@@s.w9935he could have asked for more, he’s worth the money, this playoffs he played injured, and the cap is going up.

[@carparthero]

@kool9813 AAV is what matters the most, in the context of cap hit. draisaitl deserved to get paid what he got. he didn't take a discount and yet he could have def gotten more if he chose to have gone to market next summer.

[@zachlesk5685]

Not a bad deal… WHERE THE MONEY TO BUILD THE REST OF A TEAM? You’re gonna have close to 30 mil inked to just 2 players and expect to be able to consistently compete Ike that? Players that go to Canada are extra greedy and try to run their team out of the bank

[@prospero11]

Hahaha! Everyone is beat up in the playoffs. What a dumb thing to say. And, he played like a gimp in the Cup. He looked hurt for sure. And, you are high if you think this is not a bad deal. Oilers got butt Funked. So long Cup dreamer oil fans. You have two great players and the rest will be $hit. Couldn't happen to a more deserving team.

[@nolen991]

Not long after Drai signed his contract (within the week) he bought a new house next door to McDavid, I don't think we need to be worried about McDavid not resigning lmao

[@TrueMr.Quinn1]

You only have to worry about whether or not they win a cup this year or not. If they don’t win the cup, the oilers will not get another chance for YEARS to come once they have to resign McDavid

[@tomblade]

resign ≠ re-sign

[@GamingSlippers]

​@TrueMr.Quinn1 this is almost certainly not true. I mean is it their best chance in the next 3-4 years? Yes. But define chance. Being a competitive playoff team, or being favored as the #1-2.

[@martymcfly88mph35]

Where do they live? I'd love to drive by, I love checking out fancy homes.

[@windsolarupnorth7084]

Yup, Oilers are not winning the Cup anytime soon. With Draisaitl 14m and McDavid 15m next year they can forget about depth. This season was their chance, they are not reaching the finals again.

[@carparthero]

not an oilers fan or hater. congrats on draisaitl getting this contract. he was one of the best value contracts the last 4-5 years. and thank you @hockeypsychology for all your hard work with the videos. the stanley cup final coverage in particular was amazing. seriously consider selling merchandise, let the community know what your plans are. cheers from southern ontario, canada 🍁

[@twillison8824]

Draisaitl has consistently been a beast in the playoffs. It's like he has an extra level he can go to if he chooses.

[@ebrietasbiscuit]

*checks finals stats*

[@tequila6306]

@@ebrietasbiscuitchecks injury lists….

[@connorelder6528]

He’s been a rat, dirtiest player on the ice.

[@MbisonBalrog]

He vanished final 7 games this past try

[@janzkee]

yeah until its time to win ONE game to win it all

[@philchurch27]

These two are so fun to watch, even as a non-Oilers fan. I was really pulling for them to take the cup this year! He’s the first of several to get a deal like this, so it won’t be as shocking in the future- just like Ovi’s deal back then. Congrats to him on the contact, glad he’s staying in Edmonton.

[@Rakshiir]

I think it is telling how good they work together for players that "just" play together a few years. If you compare them to the Sedins back in the day, they were also awesome to watch in many games, but they played together their whole life.

[@philchurch27]

@@Rakshiir I mean you figure they’ve both been in Edmonton for almost 10 years now though, too. Haha. But they’ve definitely got their chemistry down- the Sedins did too!

[@Shellbean]

I am just now starting to get down the rabbithole of hockey and trying to get into it. This video has been so helpful to understand tactics and play styles! 😊

[@Slvrbuu]

We've had a steal on his contract for a few years now. He's getting what he's worth, and I'm sure most any team would have gladly paid around the same had they a chance to.

[@realtalk5931]

Absolutely. Fair value

[@estajosue]

Dude stop showing so many goals against the Kings. I’m under attack lol

[@MrSeviper03]

Honestly... starting Talbot was a big mistake this last year. I think the coach's forgot that he used to be the Oilers goalie and we know that he has a weak blocker side. I feel for you, we had to lose to Dallas in the playoffs back in the early 2000's 4yrs in a row b4 we beat them and made it to the cup final against Carolina in 2006.

[@BUZZNIGHTYEAR99]

You guys seem to forget Draisaitl has been underpaid for a majority of his career. This isnt an overpay. This is just paying him what he is worth and owed lol

[@paulrobinson5833]

Yeah under paid,so am I.

[@FiveStringCommando]

This is a well done analysis of Draisaitl.

[@mugsys]

Remember that one season when Draisaitl played without McDavid for like 50+ games due to injury? He tore it up. He’s already proved he doesn’t need McDavid, he’s a star player all by himself with no one around him. McDavid just adds to his dominance.

[@JeremyCuddles]

I been saying for years that I think Draisaitl is the best passer and shooter on his team and best passer in hockey. McDavid just has gamebreaking speed and stick handling that puts him over the edge as the best talent in the game. I defender his first contract before he broke out, and he made me look smart. But I never thought he'd be THIS good. It sucks, cause I am a Canucks fan. Watching him and McDavid torch my team is deflating.

[@wilhoroshak5035]

Best passer in hockey? Kaprizov and Makar have entered the chat:

[@JeremyCuddles]

@@wilhoroshak5035 That's the crazy part about opinions. Everyone has one. And they're welcome to them. If you feel they are better passers than Draisaitl. I accept that. Just watching Draisaitl, I personally feel he's the best passer.

[@frankiebluethgen4291]

hes getting what hes worth, and as the cap goes up and other players like matthews and mcdavid sign new contracts i think it’ll age pretty well and be proportional

[@popeluigi]

I wish people would stop talking about dollar amount and start talking about cap percentage. All of the top players usually take around 15% of the salary cap at the time of their deals. This was no exception. Sid's first $8.7M contract was about 15% of the cap at the time as well

[@FC-tq1yj]

Leon has been a monster who Western teams and fans know he almost never plays with McD except on the PP and at opportune/critical moments of a game. Unfortunately, the East still believes he exclusively plays on McDs wing... which is why he's (overall) underrated. Leon is arguably the player with the highest hockey IQ while McD can play (with a high efficiency) at speeds no one else can. Leon's known as the German Gretzky for a reason.

[@doublestrokeroll]

This is just total nonsense. As a canuck fan, as we were spanking you all season long, your coaches CONSTANTLY threw them out together in ALL situations because nobody else on the team was doing anything. Even in the playoffs when the games were close you had to load up to get anything done. It was total desperation against a team that was far more structured and even then it didn't really work. The only games the Oil actually controlled properly and looked like they deserved to win (and to their credit, they did it at the right time) were, unfortunately for the canucks, games 6 and 7. And in those games you rode the McD, Dri train too.

[@youngtony1566]

@@doublestrokeroll you're just mad cuz your team cant play for shit in playoff

[@doublestrokeroll]

@@youngtony1566 no...not really...you're just projecting and over compensating with this comment. If you think the Oilers pulling off the upset over a higher ranked team and barely squeaking by "is can't play for shit"...well...clearly you can't hide your bias. I mean...you probably think the Oilers were the favorites right? So if they barely were able to beat them, how is it the canucks couldn't pay for shit? Your post is just not logical by it's very nature.

[@matthewbarry7026]

@@doublestrokeroll Oddly that series was toted by the media as the Nucks being the underdogs. I thought that was weird being as Vancouver was on fire all year and placed higher in standings.

[@dannycarlow8204]

Yeah, because Germany doesn't have many good players that played in the NHL. He's the only German player with over 500 NHL points. He's their leader. That's why he's the German Gretzky. It's like calling Tomas Vanek Austria's Gretzky.

[@ryanchan3299]

As an Oilers fan, I've seen tons of discourse on us being the next Leafs when it comes to paying our top guys a premium price and tying the majority of our cap into a few players. My rebuttal to this - I think what a lot of hockey fans fail to realize is that Toronto signed their guys with the expectation that the cap was going to rise exponentially. Obviously, COVID messed that up. Drai is worth every penny and I do think that he left some money on the table that he could've gotten on the open market. Obviously, this doesn't excuse the Oilers from mailing it in when it comes to drafting and developing (easily my biggest gripe of the Holland regime). If anything, the Oilers organization has to grind like never before to find affordable ELC's (the Savoie trade this summer is a great start) and diamonds in the rough that can perform above their paygrade.

[@tonybleau6219]

I don't know what Buffalo was thinking with that Savoie trade. I get that they want depth and they have lots of young forwards but it seems to me that Savoie has pretty high potential vs McLeod who's peaked out.

[@Regalman]

great analysis I think it is warranted

[@jaososchefget3632]

this is cool. giving the fans an eye to a players best scoring position adds a lot to what we can see when watching a game.

[@AnthW1970]

Great Video's the only ones I watch Good JOB! cant wait for this season will be my 2nd season watching Hockey, learning so much on the breakdowns! THX AW GO HAWKS! and Thanks again!!!

[@dvon1097]

Hes the third best center in the league and a top 10 player. He deserves it

[@Alex-js5lg]

Who's 2nd in your opinion? MacKinnon?

[@gabrielrockman]

@@Alex-js5lg I think MacKinnon and Barkov are both better than Draisatl. But I think that they'd both get 14 million per season if they were signing an extension this offseason. I was expecting Draisatl to get 13 million, but 14 million doesn't seem unreasonable. It's hard to predict how much the cap will go up, so we don't know what portion of the cap his contract will be by the end of the decade.

[@Lite-8]

probably my top 8 would be McDavid, MacKinnon, Draisaitl, Barkov, Pettersson, Matthews a close 6th, Hughes a decent way at 7th, and Crosby 8th. 4-6 probably all interchangeable.

[@mackenzieklazinga6507]

⁠@@Lite-8Matthews is easily 2nd best centre in the league Drais isn’t even close

[@Lamar-t5s]

@@Lite-8petterson over matthews is crazy

[@charlie_da_folf7316]

Tho the downside to this contract is now the oilers have a jersey sponsor. Play Alberta the provincial run gambling company. As a oilers fan I know they had to but im not happy.

[@MetalCharlo]

Welcome to the club! #RBCgang

[@joycehilyan]

I’ve missed your tactical analysis like these ☺️

[@NathanielMiller94]

0:48 - well that's simply not true, Edmonton Journal.

[@PeachRap]

Well he's definitely untradeable now lol, i hope for Oilers fans he stays healthy and that he has great seasons ahead! Go Habs Go!!

[@JesusFriedChrist]

Locking him and McDoofus into Edmonton only further cements an entire career with no cup for the both of them. If they actually cared about winning the cup they’ve get the hell out of Deadmonton.

[@LR.1995]

​@@JesusFriedChrist They made it to game 7 in the finals last year... But somehow they have absolutely no chance? What are you on?

[@calebscott1100]

​@@JesusFriedChrist lost by 1 goal in game 7 of the finals but go off.

[@MrSeviper03]

@@JesusFriedChrist 🧂

[@Happy_guy123]

People are so angry players getting money, well, the money goes to the owners, if not to the players.

[@doublestrokeroll]

people are stupid. If they don't like players or owners making so much money then they should stop watching hockey. Simple as that.

[@prospero11]

Einstein, you pay for these greedy athletes, and its totally unnecessary.

[@Happy_guy123]

​@@prospero11 I haven't been in a NHL game, but supply & demand seems bit too hard to you, so maybe you should go to school and have a wish that someone will teach you how to cope with it?

[@joeya8721]

Many teams spending to the cap. The point is, if you go top-heavy with a few "Star" players, it leaves little to fill out the rest of the team. A few stars, and a bunch of scrubs. That's Edmonton for ya.

[@ovechkin100]

they arent mad about people getting the money. thats a very simplistic way of looking at it. they are mad because no it puts a massive handicap on the team. mcdavid is going to sign a similar contract, and they will be surrounded by mediocre players. no cup in edmontons future, no chance.

[@the1andonly759]

I love this channel. Great breakdown

[@JustinAndrews74]

It's that boat paddle curve (and all the other stuff) making Draisaitl so good at what he does.

[@tonybleau6219]

People talking about the Oilers declining due to this deal are underestimating how high the cap will climb in the next few seasons. They were a game away from winning the Cup last season and they're arguably better on paper now. Arvidsson, J.Skinner, Emberson are all better than who they're replacing. Yes, it'll be a challenge negotiating Bouchard and Mcdavid's extensions but they'll find a way.

[@rylanbender1212]

I think this will be one of his best seasons

[@quincyhepburn6603]

I would’ve never been able to justify this deal if you told me about it like 4 years ago

[@ejd2901]

Oh you mean after he won the hart trophy?

[@malcolmholmes2596]

Fact is he would have gotten even more as a free agent.

[@newttella1043]

I couldn't believe Darnell Nurse's contract then and now!

[@quincyhepburn6603]

@@newttella1043 🤣🤣🤣

[@doublestrokeroll]

As a canuck fan, I do enjoy the oilers losing, but I'm also not a biased hockey fan. At that level, teams simply have to pay players like this, this kind of money. The real problem is fan perception. NHL fans are simply still living 20 to 30 years in the past with their expectations about how things work. They believe in out dated concepts like "draft and develop" and think that long term "dynasty" type success is what teams should be shooting for. The cap changed all that and GM's simply don't think that way anymore. Teams are managed on almost a single season basis now, unless you're a bottom feeder like SJ or the Hawks. Once teams have their "core" 3 to 5 "talents", that's when (almost) everything else gets thrown out the window and you simply try to win a cup by any means necessary. Fill spots with character "cheap" guys in hopes to get the right chemistry. You worry about other stuff after you've won the cup. The Oil and the Canucks are the perfect examples of these effects. With the Oil (like the leafs) you have hyper talent taking up the majority which leads to depth problems. With the Canucks, you have great, but not hyper (aside from Hughes...man we lucked out with his contract) talent, so there is more there to sign better depth. Then the battle becomes "can my more balanced team beat your top loaded team". And that ends up being almost equal on any given night too. (this is where psychology comes into play) There really aren't many "favorites" anymore. Any of the top 10 to 15 teams can beat any of the others. That's why it's totally correct to pay Drai this kind of money. Yes, the end of the contract will probably be atrocious for the Oilers, much like the Miller deal will probably be a problem for the canucks. It doesn't matter. For GM's with an average lifespan of 5 or so years they DON'T care. It will be someone elses problem. And if your team wins a cup then you'll get a decade of good will to hold you over until the next core. Pretty sure most Hawks fans are STILL fairly content because they won a couple in their window. This is simply how the NHL works now. It IS the system. Whining about "over market value" or "under market value" or cap hit....it's all missing the point. Not seeing the forest etc...

[@Damian-l1z]

I'm so sick of the "player B is only good because he plays with player A" argument, as if teams cant have more than one good/great player. Jagr wasn't that good, he was lucky to play with Lemieux. Forsberg was carried by Sakic, Hull would have been a 20 goal scorer without Oates etc etc etc. As mentioned in the video Drai can score from impossible angles like no one else, McDavid is just as much the beneficiary of playing with the Deutschland dangler. As an Oilers fan I am just happy to be alive at the same time these two beauties are playing for the Oil!

[@lucienbouchard4586]

Your videos are always very interesting. Thank you :-)

[@TheySeeMeCampin]

His Offensive stats say it all he is TOP 2 in the league except for GWG in the last 7 years. Dudes a top 3 player in the NHL with his teammate being number 1. With the Cap going up you'll see a lot of the top guys taking 10m+

[@Nick_Sniff]

I would have rather seen Dri sign for 13x8. With McDavids resigning around the corner and Bouch’s, the oilers are going to look like Toronto 2.0 having almost close to half the cap in 3-4 guys. If you include Nurse in the conversation

[@Rakshiir]

I think the issue is not if he is good enough to warrant that much money. The issue is how much they have left for the rest of the team. You do have McDavid who clearly isn't a "cheap" player. This could hurt the team if you look at the overall strengh for getting to the cup.

[@JJ............................]

Draisaitl had the same amount of points in the first round last season as Marner, Nylander, and Matthews combined. Definitely worth his contract. As good as he is, this raises the question of what McDavid will get. On top of that the Oilers also have to resign Bouchard.

[@badmanskill1112]

The Leafs core 4 are a joke. It's not a comparison. They show up to playoff games with no facial hair, tight pants, & purses.... thought this was a couple seasons ago. The tight pants and purses are out of style now.

[@badmanskill1112]

They have no playoff grit. And I'm a Leafs fan. Or I was for most of my life until I gave up on them.

[@saschaganser9671]

Great video. If Draisaitl would have wanted to give some discount, it would have been great. He could have asked to match Matthews and make him the best paid player of the league for next year. So he should have gone 13,3m aav to allow another vet. min player on the roster, also allowing MCD to sign for 14m aav after next year. The fact is, that Drai was underpaid for at least 6 of his 8 year contract, as he has been on one of the best contracts in the league. Drai for 8,5m cap hit - everyone wanted that on his team. Oilers have failed to build them a support cast - by weird overpays for guys like Kassian, Lucic (Neal), Campbell or Nurse. They have lost players like Kesselring (now a top 4 RD signed for 1,4m) who would fill one of their biggest needs, or Broberg, who looked like a sure top 4 LD. Short: I have no mercy for the Oilers, they shall pay if they can`t provide a support cast for 2 all time greats.

[@rbk2kpro]

As a flames fan, im happy. Oilers gonna be top heavy as fuck

[@richardjurgens4511]

Bwahaha

[@Jon_FM]

Count out Leon at your peril. Also he will be the highest paid player for exactly 1 year. Connor is next. Then it will be someone else, this is how this works. Covid made things slow down but we are seeing the rise in the salary cap which means the sooner you sign your stars the better the contract looks within 5 years.

[@Shaw_10]

Rip Johnny and Mathew

[@Meatball_07]

Most expensive until Oilers extend Mcd next season and make him an Oiler for life :)

[@Ando2k10]

How old was that article saying no team has won the Cup with a player making $10 M? Both Jack Eichel and Aleksander Barkov have won Cups in the last two seasons, and both were $10M AAV during those seasons.

[@jakubjohnson6741]

It said over 10 M.

[@liammitchell2540]

I think it was a smart move, yeah draisatl is getting paid on this contract extension but the league is getting a $5.5M cap bump this season and another $5.5M cap bump next season

[@dfwplanespotters_yt]

do a video of oettinger vs. swayman. my pick and the last 2 years worth of stats when both are FULLY HEALTHY is oettinger

[@sherpa6071]

I love your analysis and knowledge of the game. You make awesome videos and I appreciate the time you put in. In saying this, I hope everyone knows that *no human* is worth an amount of money that could quite literally feed an entire country. Fucked up.

[@bobby_pilgrim4528]

yo these apple highlights are insane!

[@zhiwui2114]

I'm a Canucks fan. He deserves this money. I unironically believe he's the 2nd best center in the league right now behind McDavid. Unlike other stars who disappear during the playoffs after a productive regular season, Draisaitl consistently consistently performs in the playoffs. The 2024 team had a not so good defence which is putting it mildly. Defence wins championships and the fact that Draisaitl and McDavid almost willed them to a championship is nothing short of insanity. They also started off the season with a horrific losing streak which included that loss to the San Jose Sharks who had 1 win after suffering two back to back losses with 10 goals against the Canucks and Penguins. They were ridiculed another this loss. The Oilers looked completely screwed and a lot of people were talking about McDavid saying "it's a cup or bust", mocking him. Draisaitl and McDavid are the real deal and they're a duo that is unstoppable from anything except bad management, which the Oilers have had for decades. Peter Chiarelli is a hockey terrorist and the damage done to the Oilers is absurd and the fact that they just barely lost in game 7 of the SCF means they should have at least one cup already if they had league average management. The amount of dead cap space due to GM ineptitude is ridiculous. If the Oilers had gotten a slightly above average GM, they could have created another dynasty.

[@udostraesser6617]

Extremely proud he is German and from my home town Cologne

[@Aiden_Baars]

One of the best parts of his play is his one timer, he can hit it super accurately with a horrible pass

[@daotran2300]

2 months after this post. He has most goals scored . 5 game winning goal. 5 points from away from first place while oilers been doing bad. He’s worth the $ right now

[@prescottgillies7430]

Let's GOOOOOO OILERS

[@mixuzi4042]

Now its likely that Mcdavid will have caphit of over 16m.... How does a team win a cup with that?

[@oscargoldman4867]

They don't.

[@JYD2020]

McDavid and Drai putting up 70 points in the playoffs gives them a chance

[@mixuzi4042]

@@JYD2020 I guess so

[@FirewagonHockey]

He's just incredible at everything

[@soup5174]

Your channel is amazing. The way you break down each play, and then show clips perfectly demonstrating teams systems, and players skills. You deserve every view you get on this channel. And I'm sure most of you reading this comment aren't even subscribed, go ahead and subscribe to Hockey Psychology! You watch every video you get recommended to this channel, so why not subscribe? Click like too.

[@danielreiser2051]

Looking at the last playoffs the phrase he just profits from mcdavid could not be more wrong when you see which linemates he played with in comparison to mcdavid.

[@Dan-f5y]

Didn’t someone on the oilers say they need pay cuts to win?

[@zackhagen5365]

That’s why a beer is $18 at Roger’s

[@stgirat]

Leon is a friggin beast!

[@casewojo6186]

I wouldn’t call that a team friendly deal lol. What’s more important to him? Money? Or lord Stanley?

[@oscargoldman4867]

🤑🤑🤑

[@WolfHaileyy17]

Nice; so my team is getting McDavid!

[@christhornycroft3686]

Not for long. Salaries have been going through the roof since about 2020 (when everyone else was either getting COVID, losing their job or both) and once McDavid's contract is up, he'll be the highest paid player again. All the salary cap really did was limit what players from the 2nd line and 2nd pairing D on down could make. The top guys were still going to make huge money. Everyone else just had to take what was left and there was a period of in the 2000s and 2010s where a lot of middle 6 forwards between the ages of 25 and 30 were either taking a lot less, having to play in Europe or retiring altogether. Those mid-range players are the ones paying the price for the salary cap. The guys at the top will always make their money, which means there's less to build a competitive team, and those top players are being paid huge salaries to score a lot of regular season goals, but by playoff time, teams don't have the depth anymore unless they drafted exceedingly well.

[@jsquared1013]

Let's be honest, no "middle 6" player is going to leave to play in Europe or "retire altogether" because they can't as much salary as they want. They do that because their skillset is in decline and they want to keep playing instead of sliding down to the 4th line or getting dropped to the AHL.

[@CJMattias]

14 million for someone who is: On the ice 1/3rd of a game (20mins) 1/5th of the on-ice players (5v5) So you're paying that money for someone who is 1/15th of the team. (1/3)*(1/5) With McDavid that's 35% of the cap for 2/15th, or 13% of the players on ice at any given moment. So now you got 65% of cap to fill the other 87% of the lineup. Good luck.

[@CJMattias]

And this aint counting the goalies.

[@JesusFriedChrist]

Neon Dry-Saddle Bright, but needs moisturizer.

[@User-wt9jk]

Problem with him is people only measure him by production stats. I watched full oiler games and paying attention to him he fks up so so many plays. Careless turnovers were insane but nobody seems to care

[@codyaucoin3412]

The guy is a fucking beast, this is a great deal for both sides.

[@reallychillgoose]

I'd say Zach Hyman is more of a beneficiary but def not Drai. You see them broken up consistently because that gives the oilers 2 very dominant lines.

[@electrohouselover07]

How hyped are you about making new videos soon?

[@wghd6782]

I wouldnt be surprised, if Draisaitl makes this contract look like an underpayment like he did the previuos one with regards to inflation

[@mrkanangra]

Lilttle Leon from Cologne deserves every penny!

[@karlosspades7293]

Love it....... Its his time, Lets get 60Gs and that coveted cup

[@Fuhnance]

1.45 PPG in the playoffs is insane. Pay the man.

[@TMJ32]

Interesting to watch, but historically teams that are built this way don't win. Depth is so important in hockey, it takes the whole team. In the salary cap era it's teams that are balanced from top to bottom that win. The ones that are built top heavy where only a handful of guys are taking up the whole cap and they have to go bargain hunting to fill out their roster aren't the last one standing. Not only will the Oilers have the 2 highest paid players in the league but they also have a $9.25M pylon on the blueline that's untradeable and are paying Jack Campbell for another 4 years. It's hard to see how they'll be able to build a team like this that can win a cup.

[@petra_kalbrain4426]

I’m somewhere in the middle of the “overpay” and the “worth it” crowds. On one hand, he is an above average skilled player who definitely deserves some bank. On the other hand, I doubt his stats would be so impressive without McDavid by his side. They’d still be great, but I don’t think he’d be top 10 from a statistics perspective. At no point, even in contract overlap years, I am of the opinion that he should NEVER be making more money than McDavid. Plus, making that kind of money will force the team to weaken their depth as more contracts come to their ends. The belt is getting to tight a little too high up on the waist. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@jsquared1013]

I agree that the Oilers are putting too much into the top few and won't have enough left for solid depth players, but for most situations McDavid and Draisaitl aren't on the ice together; McD is 1C and Drai 2C, they usually are on the ice together for the power play or "urgently need a goal" moments.

[@s0me1else_]

everybody wake up Hockey Psychology just dropped a new video

[@jherr888]

Just over a week to start of season GO SABERS

[@KkevrockK]

No one can “contain” Draisaitl except himself. Barkov didn’t “contain” Draisaitl..he was playing with multiple injuries, not least of which was a broken finger. Good job keeping up though.

[@jsquared1013]

Barkov "didn't contain Draisaitl" because he was busy containing McDavid. Rather effectively, I might add. If your injuries are making you play that ineffectively, maybe it's better to drop out of the lineup to heal so the team can call up someone who isn't injured (assuming your team has any depth...)

[@lambsauce4868]

This is a really good deal because in hind sight AAV doesn't mean your cucked in salary he gets paid 16.25 Million this year or something like which means next year his AAV would go down and over the years he could only be getting like 12 million on his last year or something(I haven't seen the full contract of how much he's getting paid each year etc) So it's not a bad deal as long as they pay him top dollar during these next lets say 3 years and then slowly decrease that number over the last 5. Thats just my take though and it does depend on whether they did that or not

[@soyentak5076]

power to him now he has to prove it

[@YZER19]

worth every penny!

[@MADDESONCOUTTS-u7g]

As a die hard Oilers fan, this is a tough one. Do I want more than anything for him and Connor to stay? Of course. But I'm worried he's going to be another story of a guy who signs a massive contract and underperforms.

[@NicoCdawg]

While this is fair, I think draisaitl has more than enough proven that he's worth that amount. Especially considering the ridiculous deal of a contract hes on currently

[@MADDESONCOUTTS-u7g]

@@NicoCdawg Yeah of course I think he's worth it, and I'm hopeful it's a net positive. But can't help but see past examples and get a little worried

[@Unholy_Louie]

I think having two massive contracts like this might be an issue, unless maybe if the rest of the cap management is absolutely perfect. Also, yeah the cap will go up quite a bit in one shot, but I don't think it's going to change much in terms of new contracts, since, you know, the players and their agents also know that fact, so the average salary will go up. Where it will matter the most is with teams that have already signed long-term their core players for 7-8M; the new cap space will indeed help. So not much help in the case of EDM. AT LEAST he is a playoff BEAST, which, I mean, is THE most important thing at the end of the day. Just try to imagine throwing that kind of cash on not one, but SEVERAL players that absolutely disappear when it's playoff time! Obviously no GM would be dumb enough to build a top heavy anti-playoff performer core, and also give them all a FULL NMC just to make sure to auto screw the team; but that hypothetical team would be stuck in a Sisyphus situation of always losing in the first round forever lol :P Can you imagine such a trainwreck? ;)

[@TrueMr.Quinn1]

That’s your worry? Dude I’m sorry to be blunt and harsh but your worry should be whether or not the Oilers win the cup this year or not, because if they don’t, once they have to resign McDavid, there is not gonna be a lot of room for other quality players, like on defense.

[@Childofbhaal]

Drai is 28 years old he’s not gonna be a young buck either. Most NHL players primes are about 23-28 years old. Of course he’ll still be elite but I think his prime form might be ending in a couple years

[@Alex-js5lg]

I don't have an issue with Draisaitl getting paid his market value, but I _do_ think he was disingenuous when he said winning a cup was the most important thing. If he meant that, he wouldn't be asking for 16% of a 23-man team's salary cap.

[@PeterDixon734]

If you had to remain in EDM for 8-10 months out of the year, I'm sure you'd understand why he took that much.

[@GhostToast18]

​@@PeterDixon734im moving to edmonton on purpose wym

[@PeterDixon734]

@@GhostToast18 lemme guess.. BC or Ontario? If ur coming here for work, good luck finding a job lmao. Province is full.

[@PastaRobot19]

I don't know why hockey fans feel so entitled to say that someone should take less money than what you're worth, especially when we're talking millions of dollars. He only has a short time to make all the money he needs for the rest of his life. Fans demand loyalty from players, but return the favor with cynicism.

[@alcitrullo3124]

What would have been an acceptable cap hit for him to take in your opinion? When McDavid signs his new deal next summer are you going to think the same thing when he becomes the highest paid player and taking up a higher percentage of the cap? The cap should keep going up for a little bit and the percentage Draisaitl eats up will get smaller over the 8 years. The real problem for me is a hard cap league. I'd rather get rid of the cap completely, but why not have a soft cap with a luxury tax? You can take the luxury tax payments teams will have and use it to subsidize the welfare teams that are one of the reasons the cap exists.

[@chrismckay8584]

Only time will tell. But I think the league has learned to shut him down.

[@jsquared1013]

I don't think so. His production drop in the final was as much due to injury as it was to Florida's defending (although they did shut down McDavid for most games, they can't play Barkov's line against two different lines, similar for their top D pairing)

[@chrismckay8584]

@@jsquared1013 myself I think mcdavid gives him a lot of room to play against second third liners. And gets desperate and selfish to get on the scoreboard giving up costly giveaways when it counts most.

[@zachwalentiny]

Anyone who says he doesn't deserve it is insane. Look at his stats. If you want to talk about a player who is overpaid big time, it's Willy Nylander.

[@zer0signal1]

all other teams are taking notes from these videos

[@tman6663]

Longtime Oiler fan here, and I still can’t believe he is a German born hockey player. He is just unreal to watch, live! He could’ve got 15-16 million elsewhere.

[@AnIgniSign]

As he said. Loyal too the oil.

[@tman6663]

@@AnIgniSign tgod, I’ve seen Gretzky be sold/ traded 😤

[@TigrouTheHp]

He is worth, but I don't think that the oilers are gonna win anytime soon. I sincerely hope that I'm wrong

[@andiman45]

I see a back injury brewing

[@g.w.7893]

Crippling contract that will age like bread.

[@cglasford1]

I'm fine with the yearly pay but seriously why do these teams keep signing 8 year deals! 4 years should be the max! Did no one learn anything with the Parise and Sutter contracts? They are still haunting the wild

[@seabass9043]

over a 1/4 of the cap tied up into two players? 😬

[@danOneEighty]

You forgot to add the “for now”

[@VarjoPira]

Never again will I call MacKinnon greedy.

[@neverheardofyou]

Barkov is his biggest nightmare

[@TrueMr.Quinn1]

If the Oilers don’t win the cup this upcoming season, they will not get another chance for the next few years once they have to sign McDavid as well.

[@mithex8414]

It's 15.8% of the cap, the max is 20%. In a few years It'll be less than 14%. It's literally a bargain contract.

[@michael2592]

% of cap is more important than the $ amount but people pretend it isn't for some reason

[@Jontuu201]

You really got a vape sponsor....

[@IRISHnPHISHY]

"Air device".... Lol.

[@junk3996]

in case you didn't see it, there isn't any vapor

[@Jontuu201]

Theres always a way on those to use different liquids. ​@@junk3996

[@lamborghiniperlini1710]

giveaways are a bit of a useless stat, players who have the most possession are naturally going to have more giveaways. Just like the players/teams who have the puck on their stick the least will have more hits