Draisaitl Signs Massive Extension; Potential Impact On Rantanen

Every summer, we have a new player sign a contract that will eventually make them the highest paid player in the NHL. First it was Connor McDavid. Then, it was Nathan MacKinnon. Last summer, Auston Matthews signed a deal that currently has him making more money on a per-season basis than any other player in the league. Starting next season, it will be Leon Draisaitl.

The Edmonton Oilers star forward agreed to an eight-year, $112 million extension on Tuesday, which will give him a $14 million cap hit starting in 2025. With Draisaitl signing, all eyes now turn to the likes of Sidney Crosby, Brad Marchand, Igor Shesterkin, and yes, Mikko Rantanen. Will this Draisaitl deal have any impact on a new Rantanen extension?

Kind of.

Both Draisaitl and Rantanen share the same agent in Andy Scott. To me, it always made more sense that a Draisaitl contract was going to get done before Rantanen’s, because everybody expected the Oilers forward to reset the market. There was some scuttlebutt that Draisaitl might test the market next summer, but that so rarely happens in the NHL. The most likely scenario was always going to be him re-signing in Edmonton, and he did just that.

Now, is Rantanen going to get $14 million a season? I guess anything is possible, but no, I don’t see that happening. I don’t even see him coming in with a higher cap hit than Nathan MacKinnon currently has. I think that number is safe until Cale Makar is due a new contract in three years, as he’ll likely reset the market for NHL defensemen. While I doubt he signs for more than what those two stars make, he won’t come cheap, and I do expect it to get done.

That David Pastrnak deal that carries an $11.25 million cap hit is one the Avalanche would probably love to keep the number around, but that was signed back in March of 2023. The cap has gone up, and will go up again, before Rantanen’s new deal kicks in, so it’s safe to assume his new contract will probably cost a little bit more than Pastrnak’s. The Draisaitl deal just shows star players always get paid, so Rantanen ending up around $12 million doesn’t seem absurd.

There’s been a lot of talk this summer about the timing of the deal or how close things are. Just based on past history with this organization, I haven’t been expecting anything to be announced until we near the start of training camp. Nathan MacKinnon signed his big deal a day or two before camp started, while Devon Toews signed his new contract one game into last season. Rantanen said last month that it was still early when it came to contract talks, but it takes just one phone call for that to change.

A lot of Avalanche players are already in town, and they’ll continue to trickle in over the coming days, including Rantanen. With the Draisaitl deal done, a Rantanen extension now likely becomes Scott’s top priority. And from what I’ve heard, it’s something I know the Avalanche would like to get done as well.