EDMONTON -- Edmonton Oilers coach Todd McLellan said Wednesday he isn't concerned that restricted free agent forward Leon Draisaitl remains unsigned.
"I'm confident we're going to see Leon in an [Oilers] uniform," McLellan said at a charity golf tournament here Wednesday. "We want him to be there, he wants to be there, and it's just a matter of getting a few things done over the summer."
Draisaitl has been negotiating a new deal with general manager Peter Chiarelli.
"That's the business of the game, and as a coach, you tend to stay out of it," McLellan said. "That's what Peter's job is and the rest of the management team is, and certainly the player has his team of advisers."
Draisaitl, 21, had 77 points (29 goals, 48 assists) in 82 games last season and led Edmonton with 16 points (six goals, 10 assists) in 13 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
The Oilers qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 2006, and shortly after they were eliminated by the Anaheim Ducks in the Western Conference Second Round, Chiarelli said his top priority in the offseason was to sign center Connor McDavid and Draisaitl to long-term contracts. Chiarelli also said he would match any offer sheet Draisaitl might receive from another NHL team.
On July 5, the Oilers announced McDavid signed an eight-year, $100 million extension, an average annual value of $12.5 million, that begins in the 2018-19 season.
Draisaitl could opt for a shorter term than that. Edmonton is about $16.8 million under the NHL salary cap of $75 million for this season, according to CapFriendly.com.
"Obviously with Connor's [contract], Leon's, and some of the players that are coming up, it's become a very tight wallet, if you will," McLellan said. "I'm not talking about the dollars that are going out, but just about the cap space. Not only does Peter have to manage the team that is going on the ice, he has to manage the team that's in the books as well, and that's not going to change for many years."
McDavid, 20, led the NHL with 100 points (30 goals, 70 assists) and was awarded the Hart Trophy as most valuable player and the Ted Lindsay Award as most outstanding player voted on by members of the NHL Players' Association.
"I don't know if anybody knows what Connor's or any player's limitations are," McLellan said. "They have to continue to develop, I'm talking generally as a player, but Connor has to as well. One thing about him is that he's very motivated, he wants to get better in many different ways, physically, mentally, he takes the time to study the game, he asks great questions. Certainly he's our leader, we knew that when we awarded him the captaincy. He proved us right throughout the regular season, his teammates respected him, and we're excited about having him around for many, many years to come."
Edmonton (47-26-9) finished second in the Pacific Division with 103 points, a 33-point improvement from the previous season.
"'Expectations' will be a word we'll be hearing a lot of heading into training camp and throughout training camp," McLellan said. "Expectations make it a little harder on a hockey club, mentally and physically, and we haven't experienced that as a group yet and that's why I still consider our team a growth team. We've got to go through that now. Teams will be ready for the Oilers. They'll be prepared to play against us night in and night out, and people expect us, our fans in particular, to win on a more regular basis than we have in the past. Our task just gets tougher."
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