NHL Today: Derek Van Diest on Leon Draisaitl's contract status with the Edmonton Oilers this offseason.
** NHLRumors.com transcript
Mike Luft: “Now, on the topic of Leon Draisaitl, Stan Bowman about this, and we're getting all the quote extension discussions with Leon Draisaitl.
“I had a good conversation (with Draisaitl's agent Mike Liut) and we're getting things started and the time for that will be what it will be.
I don't have an update on where or when that will be, but nothing bad to report, for sure.”
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Derek Van Diest joins us to talk about this. Getting closer to Leon Draisaitl, we love these guys from afar, but then we see what he does in the Playoffs when he's less than 100%, it's pretty amazing. I know there are many feelings along those same lines. What else did Bowman say about Draisaitl?
Van Diest: “Well, he said he wants Leon Draisaitl to be an Oiler for the rest of his life, and that's his goal coming in here. That is his intention with his interviews. He wants Leon Draisaitl to remain a member of the Edmonton Oilers.
He is going into the final year of his contract right now, so negotiations are still ongoing. Stan Bowman was just hired a few weeks ago by the Edmonton Oilers, and his job is to talk to Mike Liut, talk to Draisaitl's representatives and try to get a contract extension this season, and he will have to do it. all again with Connor McDavid next season.
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But he agreed with me, we had a great conversation, I'm here at the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup, where the next generation of young players is showing itself. And we had a good conversation, and he said to me, 'Listen, if we want to keep this window open, this tournament window open for Edmonton, those two guys have to be a part of it. Those two boys should be its pillars.'
Kind of like (Jonathan) Toews and (Patrick) Kane when they were in Chicago. So that's what he has to do. He knows that for the Oilers to compete for the Stanley Cup every year, those two guys have to be a big part of it.
And it starts with signing Leon Draisaitl and I think they want to do this before the season starts. I think they don't want this to go on for the rest of the season. He does not want to make questions about. He doesn't want to be asked every time he makes a media appearance, what's going on with Leon Draisaitl.
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Both sides, therefore, would like to do this sooner rather than later. After that, they can focus on hockey because the Oilers loaded up this summer to make a run at the Stanley Cup.”
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