Leon Draisaitl spoke with Tim & Sid on Canada's Sportsnet on Wednesday. The interview, which was performed remotely, started off on a comedic note as Sid introduced Draisaitl on the phone from Prague. The TV-show host, probably by accident, called the city "one of the nicest countries...in the world." Of course, Prague isn't a country but the capital of the Czech Republic. The topic of the interview was a very different city as Draisaitl, and the Sportsnet hosts spoke about the German's new contract to play in Edmonton.
Draisaitl signed on earlier this week to play with the Oilers for the next eight years.
The contract brought to close several weeks of discussion that promised to be a major distraction if it continued much longer. The two sides were able to agree regarding both money and term. Draisaitl's deal is worth $68M for eight years, and he looks to play alongside Connor McDavid during that time.
Draisaitl thinks playoff scoring helped
Draisaitl, who is 21 years old, had 77 points in a full 82-game regular season last year. That kind of production out of a player his age is head turning. No doubt it played a big role in getting Draisaitl a high-paying and long-term deal. But when asked about whether his playoff performance, in particular, was a factor in getting the big contract, Draisaitl answered in the affirmative.
"I think it played a role," the Edmonton Oiler said, referring to his playoff-scoring punch in the spring. He continued by stating that he felt that playing well over the course of the regular season played a role as well.
Much expected out of Edmonton
The Edmonton Oilers, after years of futility since winning the Western Conference back in 2006, enter the 2017 season as one of the Stanley Cup favorites.
Popular sportsbook bet365 almost makes the Oilers the top favorites as they are priced at +1000. That's just a tad longer than the Pittsburgh Penguins at +900, the two-time defending Cup champions. One major betting firm, William Hill, has odds open on the Western Conference alone. The Oilers are priced at +450 to win the conference, odds that are shortest among all teams.
It has been decades since Edmonton opened the season so highly regarded. Even in 2006 when they made the Stanley Cup Finals there weren't there following much preseason hype. During the 2017 playoffs, the Oilers were actually the Stanley Cup favorites for a very short time, but that was during the playoffs - not during the preseason. The last time the Oilers won the Stanley Cup was the 1989/1990 season. However, that was the one Stanley Cup of the franchise's five that was a bit of a surprize as it came in the post-Gretzky era. You may have to go back to the 1987/1988 preseason to find a time when Edmonton was as hyped or more hyped as they are right now and certainly Draisaitl is a part of the reason why.
