Rumors about Edmonton Oilers' star forward Leon Draisaitl are nothing new, but this one is ruffling some feathers.
The Oilers may be moving closer to the Stanley Cup Final as they tied their second round series vs. the Vancouver Canucks 2-2, but chatter has it that if Edmonton fails to win the cup this year, Draisaitl could be on his way out.
The German forward was recently linked to the Boston Bruins, as he is set to become an unrestricted free agent next July as he is about to enter the final season of an eight-year, $68 million ($8.5M AAV) contract. Now, a monster rumour is sending him to California, more precisely to the San Jose Sharks, as ESPN reporter Greg Wyshynski proposed a question to Jeff Marek.
Do you think [Leon] Draisaitl would go to San Jose because their owner is German?
Marek replied that there is an «opportunity» and that it has been SPECULATED on by the hockey industry for at least a year maybe longer.
Wyshynsky went on to list off some reasons as to why maybe Draisaitl would consider:
It is a fact that the Sharks' owner, Hasso Plattner, is German and would probably do all he can to accommodate a compatriot. While I get the positive sides of moving to San Jose for more money and becoming the face of the franchise, Draisaitl would also have to start his Stanley Cup journey all over again, while mentoring young players and prospects like Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith, William Eklund and Thomas Bordeleau.
At this point, there is a huge possibility that Draisaitl decides to stay in Edmonton alongside captain Connor McDavid. It all depends on what happens with the Oilers in the coming weeks and if the club can reach an agreement on a new deal depending how on much Draisaitl is seeking from his current $8.5 million AAV.
Personally, i'm unsure what to make of this speculation. I wonder why Leon would even want to leave the cup-contending Oil for a cellar-dwelling San Jose team. Yet what I'll say is you readers will have a lot to talk about during the offseason, especially if the Oilers get a Bust and not a Cup. For now, enjoy the ride and ready yourselves for game 5 on Thursday in Vancouver.
