The Edmonton Oilers' Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid could be the NHL's highest-paid players next summer. But as they set the bar for future players, they know the balance.

Draisaitl, the NHL's top-paid player, says the Oilers stars can "get more money into hockey and get the players some higher salaries."

Back in August, the St. Louis Blues tendered their double offer sheet for Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg of the Oilers. Earlier this week, Edmonton general manager Stan Bowman explained how the offer sheets far exceed their current ability and led to the Oilers letting both players go.

McDavid is the best player in today’s game, by far, and Draisaitl’s deal essentially provided the starting point in what stands to be a very short, if not pointless, discussion.

The Panthers defeated the Oilers 2–1 in Game 7, marking the closest McDavid and the team have come to winning the Stanley Cup during his tenure in Edmonton. It was also the franchise’s first return to a Game 7 Final since their loss to the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006.

After leading the Edmonton Oilers to a Stanley Cup Final appearance last season, Leon Draisaitl has agreed to a contract extension that will make him

St. Louis Blues center Robert Thomas was with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl when the big offer sheets were announced. After that, the stories differ.

The Oilers now have two of the NHL’s best players—Draisaitl and Connor McDavid—locked in for the foreseeable future, assuming McDavid inks his own long-term extension once he is able to do so on July 1, 2025.