Leon Draisaitl strongly denied one feature in contract extension with Edmonton Oilers
32 Thoughts podcaster and Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman revealed that Oilers superstar Leon Draisaitl reportedly blocked the idea of deferred salary that was proposed to him when he signed his eight-year deal.
This trend of deferred salary has become more popular for NHL players as many fans had not known of this extra incentive which will help an NHL team in their salary cap now but will guarantee money paid after the player has retired.
Draisaitl thinks superstars will not seek deferred payments
It seems that Draisaitl's contract has become the watershed contract that many superstars will be looking to especially recently traded Colorado Avalanche forward Mikko Rantanen.
After a negotiation that was going nowhere, the avalanche felt that they needed to move Rantanen to recoup draft picks and or players as he may walk to free agency.
Draisaitl believes players like Rantanen who shares his agent with Leon, will want the full amount as they could invest it elsewhere to make more money and the notion of having that much money per year in one's account.
Salary Cap rise will change the landscape of the NHL
Just a few days ago, it was announced that the NHS is preparing to raise the salary cap significantly over the next three seasons. The league announced that within three years the top end of the salary cap will be $113 million which will be beneficial for some teams and nightmarish for others.
All NHL owners will be looking at a minimum salary cap of $80 million or more once the league reaches that number which many owners are not comfortable spending that kind of money when they cannot attract as many people to watch the games live.
The Oilers have two contracts remaining that are big ticket contracts which include defenseman Evan Bouchard and Oilers superstar Connor McDavid. Many feel McDavid will sign with Oilers long term and continue to build the team around him and Leon Draisaitl.
It remains to be seen on how the Oilers will handle both contracts as the NHL playoffs are just around the corner. The salary cap rising, it's likely many players especially the expensive ones will not seek a deferment of payment as they would like all of their cash tide up in one swoop.
