Leon Draisaitl ended all speculation about his future on Tuesday when the Edmonton Oilers star signed a massive eight-year deal with an average annual value of $14 million per season.
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It wasn’t so much of a surprise that Draisaitl got paid, but it was the massive term and dollar amount that pushed the forward to become the highest-paid NHLer in the league, eclipsing Toronto Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews‘ $13.25 million average annual value.
Without question. Leon Draisaitl is an NHL superstar. With 850 points in 719 NHL games, the three-time 50-goal scorer was going to get a significant raise from the eight-year, $68 million contract he signed in 2017. In 2020, Draisaitl won the Art Ross Trophy after amassing 43 goals and 67 assists in 71 games. He also won the Hart Trophy for NHL MVP that season, in addition to the Ted Lindsay Award for Most Outstanding Player as voted by his teammates.
Getting that eighth year pushed Draisaitl over the top. But with his signing done, all eyes point to Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner, who is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2024-25 season,
So where does Marner stack up compared to Draisaitl?
Like Draisaitl, Marner is an accomplished forward. He has 639 points in 576 regular season games with the Leafs. He established the franchise record two years ago with a 23-game points streak. He was also nominated for the Frank J. Selke Trophy in 2022-23, handed out annually to the best defensive forward.
The homegrown player has been everything the Maple Leafs could hope for.
But Marner and Draisaitl have varying accomplishments both individually and as a team. Marner is more of a playmaker while Draisaitl is a scorer. There is no telling if Marner will re-sign with the Maple Leafs or if the team will even entertain an extension at any point.
The Oilers got to one game away from winning the Stanley Cup this season. Draisaitl was a big part of that with 31 points in 25 games. The Oilers have gone deep in the post-season for three consecutive seasons while the Leafs have gone past the first round just one time in Marner’s tenure.
Draisaitl had 108 points in 74 playoff games over his career. While Marner has 50 points in 57 playoff games spread out over eight years.
Where Marner and the Leafs stand
The Leafs haven’t been clear on their intentions about Marner’s future while the player’s agent — Darren Ferris — has told various hockey insiders that his client intends to play out the remainder of his contract.
If Marner stays, it’s likely he’d fall in somewhere between his $10.903 million AAV and Matthews’ $13.25 million. It’s hard to envision any scenario where Marner would top Matthews on that front. But a lot of it could depend on term. Draisaitl has opted for security and twice took the maximum eight-year term. After Matthews set a new benchmark by signing a five-year term following his entry-level deal, Marner went for six seasons in his deal. But even still. It’s hard to see how an eighth year would get Marner beyond where Matthews or Draisaitl is from an AAV perspective.
The Leafs loaded with top-end talent with Matthews and William Nylander (11.5 million AAV), it’s hard to see where Marner falls in all of that.
The best course of action the Leafs can do right now is wait. There’s a new head coach in Craig Berube. Maybe the bench boss can unlock a new level in Marner not seen in the postseason before.
But one thing is clear. The Leafs best course of action will be to wait. But this time, wait longer than they did with Nylander (who signed a few months it).
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