Many Edmonton Oilers fans are, understandably, concerned about the lack of a contract for superstar forward Leon Draisaitl as the 2024-25 season approaches.
Leon Draisaitl is entering the final season of an eight-year, $68 million extension he signed in 2017. The Oilers are coming off their most successful campaign in the Draisaitl-Connor McDavid era, narrowly falling to the Florida Panthers in Game 7 of a thrilling Stanley Cup Final series.
If the Oilers cannot lock up the 28-year-old long-term, their best bet would be to trade Draisaitl for another superstar-level player instead of risk losing him for nothing in 2025 free agency.
The Oilers have to stay in win-now mode for captain and generational talent Connor McDavid. So trading Draisaitl for a package of prospects and draft selections is not an option.
Plenty of teams make sense for Leon Draisaitl, but the Toronto Maple Leafs come to mind as the ideal trade partner for Edmonton. After all, they have another superstar-level player in Mitch Marner who’s also entering a contract year.
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Marner (zero 100-point seasons) isn’t as explosive offensively as Draisaitl (five 100-point seasons), but he’s much better defensively and needs a change of scenery following another playoff meltdown in Toronto.
Leon Draisaitl For Mitch Marner Would Be A Win-Win
Trading Marner and a 2026 first-round pick for Draisaitl is a fair trade for the Oilers and Leafs, who can’t afford to let either star player walk for nothing in 2025 free agency. Draisaitl would form a dynamic “big three” with fellow superstars Auston Matthews and William Nylander, while Marner would have the luxury of riding shotgun with McDavid.
Breaking up the Draisaitl-McDavid tandem would be tough for Oilers fans to stomach. But if Draisaitl won’t commit to Edmonton long-term, trading the 2020 Hart Trophy winner for another star is Edmonton’s only choice.
Marner is two years younger than Draisaitl, too, so his presence would keep Edmonton’s championship window wide-open for the remainder of McDavid’s prime years.
