Welcome to Oilersnation’s top 15 stories of the year, where we count down the most-read stories you, the reader, clicked on in 2024.
Remember when people actually thought Leon Draisaitl wasn’t going to re-sign with the Oilers? Good times, good times.
Number nine in the countdown dove into a Sportsnet interview with Draisaitl, in early January 2024, where he opened up about his he and his then-expiring contract. Here’s some of what I wrote breaking down the interview:
In Drasaitil’s case, he can put pen to paper on an extension with the Oilers that would make him one of the highest-paid players in NHL history on July 1st of this year.And in an exclusive interview with Sportsnet’s Mark Spector, the German Gretzky — well aware of his contract status — opened up on his future for the first time.“At the end of the day, he’s going to do what’s best for him, and I’m going to have to do the same thing for me,” Draisaitl told Spector, on the topic of he and McDavid long been considered a package deal.. “We’ve had a lot of success together, and we would like to have more success as a team, of course. I’m sure at some point, there’s going to be some conversations.“But at the end of the day, he’s going to do what’s best for him and I’m going to do what’s best for me.”Aware of other contracts signed around the league, like William Nylander’s eight-year, $92-million pact, or Auston Matthews’ four-year, $53-million deal, Draisaitl said he knows what looms ahead for him.“Oh yes,” he told Spector. “There’s a lot of thought, a lot of conversation that goes into it. With family. With my agents, of course. Right now, I think everyone just wants me to focus on playing.“I know the situation come July 1. But there’s another side to it as well. You know, the Oilers have a say in this as well. Come July 1, at least. After that, it’s up to me.”
Very briefly, Spector speculated on a few spots Draisaitl could’ve taken his talents, indicating the Vegas Golden Knights, Los Angeles Kings, Boston Bruins and New York Rangers as a few clubs who theoretically could’ve made sense.
We all know how this story ended, though, with Drasiatil signing a massive contract extension this past summer, keeping him in Edmonton for eight years — the maximum allowable under the NHL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement — paying him $14-million per year. The deal, which will see him earn a record-setting annual value, will effectively keep him an Oiler for life, and is a great indication of what’s to come for Connor McDavid.
Top 15 articles of 2024
- No. 15: Corey Perry, Evander Kane exchange words on the bench
- No. 14: Oilersnation pranks fans by saying Ken Holland signed extension
- No. 13: Adding Corey Perry “changes the outlook” of Oilers’ trade deadline, could “open the door” for Jack Campbell move
- No. 12: ‘I wouldn’t have gone out there for a million dollars’: Connor McDavid talks about declining to accept Conn Smythe
- No. 11: Rumours swirled at draft Oilers asked Evander Kane to waive no-movement clause
- No. 10: Connor McDavid ranked 3rd, Leon Draisaitl 13th on ESPN’s list of Top 25 NHL players of the 21st century
Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist, making up one-half of the DFO DFS Report. He can be followed on Twitter at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@thenationnetwork.com.
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