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Around the NHL: Leon Draisaitl signed an eight-year, $112 million extension with the Oilers
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Photo credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Ryley Delaney
Sep 4, 2024, 10:00 EDTUpdated: Sep 4, 2024, 01:04 EDT
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Exactly one month from today, the National Hockey League regular season begins.
The Edmonton Oilers have extended a star player, while the St. Louis Blues will be without one of their defencemen for the 2024-25 season. Moreover, a player will be changing his number to 13 in honour of Johnny Gaudreau.
Let’s dig into all of that in the latest Around the NHL.

Leon Draisaitl signed an eight-year extension

The Edmonton Oilers have signed superstar Leon Draisaitl to an eight-year deal worth $14 million annually, or $112 million until the end of the 2032-33 season.
Selected third overall in the 2014 NHL Draft, Draisaitl has become one of the best players in the league, posting three 50+ goal seasons and hitting the 100+ point plateau in five of the last six seasons (with the 56-game 2020-21 season being the exception). His best season was in 2019-20, winning the Art Ross, Hart, and Ted Lindsay awards, and he always performs in the post-season.
Last year was a step down for Draisaitl, as he finished with 41 goals and 106 points in 82 games, along with 10 goals and 31 points in 26 post-season games. Draisaitl’s off-year is better than the majority of players’ best season.
Still the Oilers will have to lock down two more key players in the near future. Connor McDavid’s contract comes to an end at the end of the 2025-26 season and he’ll be in for a massive raise. Moreover, Evan Bouchard is available for an extension, but will become a restricted free agent after the 2024-25 season.

Torey Krug set to undergo season-ending surgery

According to the St. Louis Blues, their left-shot defenceman Torey Krug will undergo season-ending surgery to repair his left ankle.
Krug signed with the Boston Bruins as a free agent, and spent nine seasons with the team where he scored 67 goals and 337 points in 523 games. He joined the Bruins a year after their Stanley Cup win, and departed the team the season after they fell in the 2019 Stanley Cup Finals.
Ironically, the Bruins fell to the Blues in the 2019 Stanley Cup Finals, and Krug would find his way to the Missouri-based team after the 2019-20 season. In early October, 2020, Krug agreed to a seven-year deal worth $45.5 million with a $6.5 million cap hit.
The 33-year-old had a productive season with the Blues in 2023-24, picking up four goals and 39 points in 77 games.

Cole Caufield changes his number to 13

Fanbases may have rivalries with other fanbases, but at the end of the day, hockey is just a game. And the game lost two great men last Thursday evening, as Matthew and Johnny Gaudreau sadly passed away in a senseless and quite frankly avoidable traffic collision.
Putting rivalries aside, we’re all fans of the sport and the players who provide us countless hours of entertainment each season. The outpouring of love for Johnny, Matthew, their family, their teammates, and everyone that knew them is a slight glimmer of hope in a situation that still doesn’t feel real.
There have been a ton of tributes to the brothers, including two candlelight vigils in Calgary and Columbus on Wednesday. Moreover, Montréal Canadiens’ forward Cole Caufield is changing his number to 13 in honour of Gaudreau.
Like Gaudreau, Caufield is considered on the shorter side for a National Hockey League player, standing at 5’8”, 175 lbs. Gaudreau was an inspiration for Caufield growing up and the Canadiens forward has even worn the number 13 in his career because of Gaudreau.
It’s a touching tribute, and the memory of the Gaudreau brothers will never be forgotten.

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