Oilers insider Bob Stauffer added the Draisaitl camp is looking to sign long-term, not a shorter deal like Auston Matthews signed in Toronto.
Said Seravalli on Stauffer’s Oilers Now: “The Oilers need to make hay right now because they’ve got McDavid, Draisaitl and Bouchard only adding up to $25 million. The next iteration of this when everyone is locked up, because to me it’s when but not if…”
You’re saying the Oilers are going to sign all three of those guys? Stauffer shot back, saying, “Whoa, whoa, whoa.”
Seravalli: “I think the Oilers and Draisaitl’s camp have already started talking.”
Stauffer: “I’ll tell you what, I think the Draisaitl camp will go for maximum.” This isn’t the place to find a four-year contract like Auston Matthews. They have a long-term agreement in mind.
Seravalli: “My argument is that those three players will collectively earn $40 million when the Oilers play two years from now.
Stauffer: “$14, $10, and 16 (million) dollars?”
Seravalli: “Yes, indeed. I’m projecting that. Additionally, I believe the numbers are extremely close if the Oilers are sitting in their office with (hockey boss) Jeff Jackson’s large board displayed. That’s when the cap of $100 million will also be implemented.
And you believe they’ll get all three, especially McDavid and Draisaitl, Stauffer asked?
The only area on Earth where they can play together is here, says Seravalli. For a game with Connor McDavid, where else are you going? I doubt that he will be moving anywhere. They’re the best of friends. What is the number of times that Rasaitl has said, “Connor McDavid does things no one else can do,” so far this playoff season?
Stauffer inquired as to what Draisaitl said to Seravalli regarding Edmonton Oilers owner Daryl Katz during the Stanley Cup media day.
Seravalli: “This Stanley Cup Final is a story I didn’t really get a chance to tell because they are down 3-0 and the atmosphere has changed, but as someone who has been coming here for 15 years, I know how different this place is. Nothing about this downtown is possible without Daryl Katz’s support, including the absence of a mosh pit, fan village, shiny new arena, and hotel that all the visiting teams like to stay in.
The Oilers are the NHL’s Green Bay Packers, according to Seravalli. They are a massive force in the league industry. Among the NHL’s top seven revenue-producing teams are the Oilers. A bottom five market size, that is. Calculate the implications of that.
Although Seravalli acknowledged that Stanley Cup tickets are pricey and that fans are feeling the pinch, he added that Katz’s decision to purchase the team, advance construction, and supply funding during the team’s hard times is largely responsible for the franchise’s expansion and success.
According to Leon Dasaiatl, they have the best owner in professional sports, Seravalli remarked.
Seravallisaidthere’snotonethingthat’snotlookedafterfortheOilers. “YouwanttodosomethingspecialonanoffdayfortheSuperBowl,we’lldoit… Theseplayershaveeverythingattheirdisposal. Facilities,everythingelsethatcomeswithit.”
SevallisaidhebecameinterestedinKatz’srelationstohisplayersduringtheOilers-StarsserieswhenhesawDraisailtandKatz’scelebratingabigwin. “Theystoodthereandtheyhugged. AndIwaslike,‘Huh,that’sinteresting.’ Youdon’tseethatthatoften. There’srealrelationshipthere.”
Related:HymannailswhatailstheOilers
Mytake
1. Seravalli, Elliotte Friedman of Sportnet, and Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic are among the best NHL insiders. Stauffer is as knowledgeable about the Oilers as anyone who isn’t in coaching or management. If they express a belief, it’s just a close belief; it doesn’t imply that they are speaking with certainty. They speak with knowledge.
2. For that reason, the Oilers team and their supporters are in for some very positive news. The Oilers will be a top team for many years to come if they sign these three players.
3. Edmonton was unable to keep together its star group of players of the 1980s into the 1990s. The team likely missed out on three or four Stanley Cups it otherwise might have won. It was a bitter pill for fans, such as myself. But things are different time and Daryl Katz does, indeed, deserve a lot of credit, as does former Mayor Stephen Mandel and his city council for pushing ahead with the new arena in the face of heavy, sometimes virulent opposition.
4. I’ve only met Katz once, interviewing him when he bought the team in June 2008, but I’ve always remembered what he had to say about the brevity of life: “I’d like to see the team get into a new arena as soon as possible. Life is short enough as it is. Life is over in a blink of an eye. I’m 47. I think it was yesterday I was 18. It’s over like that. So we don’t have any time to waste. That is a personal philosophy. We want to move forward quickly and try to accomplish as much as we can in as short a period of time as we can.”
The timing is ideal, in my opinion, and the city deserves it. And the Oilers team, in my opinion, deserves it. Among the most illustrious teams in the league is this one. This group is deserving of being an elite group.
5. Katz received his arena. He now has his world-class squad. He seems determined to see it through to the end. For supporters of the Edmonton Oilers, all of this is fantastic news.
P.S. What’s the hottest topic in hockey right now? Stauffer and Staples on Oilers Currently
At the Cult of Hockey STAPLES: Until the Oilers quit beating themselves, they will keep losing.
Player grades in the Game 3 defeat for LEAVINS
