What new Leon Draisaitl contract means to the Oilers - 7 takeaways
By Phil Gretzky
2. Edmonton is now a destination for players
This is down to a combination of the state of the art rink they play in and the dressing room they use, the (usually) respectful nature of the fans when players are out in the city in public, the lower cost of living relative to other NHL cities, the supportive nature of their owner, and of course McDavid. Add in the city's thriving arts and restaurant scenes and list of many attractions, and the Oilers are a destination team, which will only intensify with the Cup run completed this past June.
The same thing goes for Draisaitl - between McDavid, the great rink, and the fact that he's happy here, what possible reason would there be to leave? Anyone suggesting Draisaitl leaving was his first instinct clearly wasn't paying attention to the post-pandemic cap situation - any other NHL destination that was a cup contender didn't have the cap space for him, and any franchise that did have the cup space is a losing team that won't win a cup for a long time. Draisaitl would never get the sort of perks he gets in Edmonton anywhere else.
Edmonton may not have the weather of California or the energy of New York City/Toronto, or the culture of Montreal to draw players, but in terms of day to day life, NHL players have it pretty good here. Compare traffic from LA, Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, or New York City to Edmonton, for example, and it's no contest. Edmonton has all of them beat. Same thing when it comes to buying a house - you can get a much bigger house in Edmonton for what you'd pay in New York.
It also helps that Edmonton is an experimental retail hub for all of Canada - any stores, especially US brands, that are trying to make their way in the Canadian market will oftentimes open up in Edmonton first. This brings players who are American transplants one step closer to feeling like they're home.
Most of all, the Oilers are now a winning team and a Cup contender - and Draisaitl is a huge part of that. Who wouldn't want to come play on the team with the two best players in the league steering the ship? Try everyone.