Approximately one year ago, Leon Draisaitl signed an eight-year contract worth
an average of $8.5 million per season. At the time there were a number of
insiders and fans that felt the contract might have been an overpayment.
Seasons of 55 points and 77 points prior to the signing were good (leaning on
great), but there were doubts Draisaitl would be able to consistently produce
at a level worthy of one of the higher contracts in the NHL. The fear was, as a
 restricted free agent, he was simply asking too much.

Today, Draisaitl is not just worthy of the price tag, a strong argument can be
made his deal is a value deal, a solid bet or even a steal depending on the
measuring stick you use to make your comparison.Draisaitl';s Production

Sure, there were players last season in the NHL who produced more offense and
made less money. Those sort of outliers come with the territory. Names like
Nathan MacKinnon ($6.35), Taylor Hall ($6.0) and Blake Wheeler ($5.6), are just
 a few examples of players who blew their deals out of the water in terms of
value. But, of those forwards, one had the season of a lifetime - MacKinnon
improved by 34 points over his next best season - and both Hall and Wheeler
took significant steps extremely close to a contract year where they';ll see
new deals that will potentially bump their salaries dramatically.

Should Wheeler, 31, get a long-term deal, he can';t possibly live up to the
money he';s about to receive over the duration of that deal (he too saw a
tremendously successful season after never having achieved those totals before)
 and Hall, 26, should provide tremendous production, but the New Jersey Devils
will be paying for every bit of it.

There are other names that can and potentially should be included in the
conversation here, but what';s important to look at is what Draisaitl brings to
 the Oilers - consistently. Then it';s important to look at what that
production is worth in today's NHL.Draisaitl re-signed with the Oilers on an
eight-year deal. (Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports)

Since coming into the league, Draisaitl has been about as steady as one can be
for a player who has less than four full seasons on his resume. He';s scored no
 less than 51 points when he plays more than 40 games and he';s got two seasons
 of over 70 points. He';s producing like a top-10 offensive player, often
pushing his own line and despite a bit of a down season in 2017-18, only
getting stronger. To suggest Draisaitl will be a consistent point-per-game
forward is not a stretch, by any means. There's a good chance he's an 85-90
point player when he reaches his peak. He may even have a 100-point season
packed in his future resume somewhere: remember, he';s only 22 years of age.

Some may argue Draisaitl gets the benefit of playing alongside Connor McDavid.
That's fair. That said, this is not a negative. He';s produced both with
McDavid and without him, showing he can play with stars on his line and make it
 work when he';s running the show alone. He';s still figuring out the NHL, his
own game and growing into the player he';ll eventually become.Related - NHL
Rumors: Pacioretty, Nurse, Staal, MoreThe Money Draisaitl Gets

What just two seasons ago seemed like a huge contract, is no longer that. No
doubt, $8.5 million per season isn't cheap and some will argue that dollar
figure should automatically exclude Draisaitl from being considered among the
Oilers or NHL';s best contracts. But, when it comes to average annual salary
cap and if we exclude entry-level deals, he';s arguably offering among the most
 return for the fairest price.

Outside of the Oilers organization, Draisaitl ranks ninth in pay for NHL for
centers. Of the players who are paid more, he';s on par for similar if not
better points than many of them and consistently outproducing some of the names
 ranked above him.

A recent survey by the NHL (obviously there are other metrics in which one
could measure where Draisaitl ranks), suggests he';s 20th on the list of the
NHL';s best centers in the league. Of the 19 players listed before him, he's
got either age or production on his side. In the top ten alone, he's younger
than Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Anze Kopitar, Patrice Bergeron, Tyler
Seguin, and John Tavares. Of those ten, he makes less money than four of them
and will make less than six of them in the next two years.

ICYMI: Here are our Top 20 Centers in the NHL right now. #NHLTopPlayers
pic.twitter.com/3NeJuzarQG

- NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) August 6, 2018

In the bottom ten, (where Draisaitl sits) he's right on par, often making less
or producing more. Perhaps Sean Couturier ($4.3) and Aleksander Barkov ($5.85)
rate as the best value for the most production on the entire list of centers.
Again, outliers will exist and 30 other teams can only wish they had
Couturier';s contract on their books.

There';s no denying Draisaitl is paid well. But, to argue that he';s overpaid
is an argument that simply doesn';t compute.Related: Did Milan Lucic Put His
Foot in His Mouth?The Draisaitl 'What If';

Edmonton';s cap situation isn';t terribly good. That said, Draisaitl is
certainly not part of the problem. Given the rate of player salaries jumping
and free agents getting deals worth far more but for far less production,
Draisaitl';s deal will continue to look better and better as seasons move
forward. He';s a huge part of the Oilers future and until 2025, not anything
the team will have to worry about.

One can only imagine, what that contract today - which has to be considered
fair at the least, a good deal by most and a value by many - would have looked
 like if the Oilers had signed it one year earlier. That was a real
possibility.

The post Draisaitl';s Deal is Among the NHL';s Best appeared first on The
Hockey Writers.

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