Leon Draisaitl's agent gives the Oilers an ultimatum.
Leon Draisaitl's agent has made it clear that he feels his client has been undervalued.
The Edmonton Oilers have been given a deadline.
Somewhat surprisingly, one of the least talked about topics coming out of Edmonton following the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Final and the opening of free agency has been the future of Oilers star forward Leon Draisaitl. Draisaitl has been viewed as arguably the best value player in the National Hockey League for some time now, making the 8 year deal he signed with the Oilers in 2017, a deal that carries an average annual value and salary cap hit of $8.5 million, look like an absolute steal of a deal for the Oilers.
It seems as though both Draisaitl and his agent are aware of this fact, given that his agent recently said as much during an interview where he revealed he feels Leon has produced well above his current salary.
"[Leon] has been playing at least 30 percent below his value for three years," said agent Jiri Poner as per Eishockey.
The most telling comments from Draisaitl's agent however came when he put a tremendous amount of pressure on the Oilers to get a deal done quickly over the summer. The agent made it clear that, if the Oilers don't get Draisaitl signed before August, they may never get him signed at all.
"But the ball is in Edmonton's court," said Poner. "There's no rush yet, but either it happens quickly, i.e. by the end of August, or it doesn't work out at all."
You can hardly blame Draisaitl for wanting to get a new deal signed if he feels he has been underpaid for several seasons now, and although his agent is placing an ultimatum on the Oilers it isn't necessarily a bad thing. Draisaitl wanting to get a deal done quickly would suggest that he wants to remain in Edmonton long term, something that could very well be viewed as a positive sign for the Oilers.
That being said, it is clear that Poner feels he and Draisaitl have a very strong negotiating position when it comes to his next contract.
"Leon holds all the trump cards," added Poner.
Getting Draisaitl signed to a new deal will likely be the Oilers' top priority this summer.
