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This post is part of Oilers Day on PHT…

most of the pressure in Edmonton would be on Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli.,In a fairer world

Chiarelli could have conceivably locked up Leon Draisaitl to a far cheaper contract extension if he was a little more proactive about it. The Oilers barely wasted a second in signing Connor McDavid to an extension when they got the chance – and justifiably so – but you wonder if they dropped the ball in allowing Draisaitl to pump up his value with a breakthrough contract year.,authentic Henrik Lundqvist jersey,After all

And,authentic Mats Zuccarello jersey, Chiarelli is the one who’s been handing out questionable contracts to the likes of Milan Lucic and Kris Russell., beyond discussions of Draisaitl + McDavid at $21 million compared to Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane at that price (not to mention the cheaper duo of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin)

Anyway,adidas Erik Karlsson jersey, when you leaf through reactions to the $8.5 million per year price, much of the bickering centers on how excessive the contract is., the debates don’t seem to revolve around whether or not the Oilers overpaid Draisaitl; instead

That’s not great for a 21-year-old who still boasts a pretty small resume, talented players out of Edmonton., especially if his bloated contract eventually forces other

while cap realities would likely prompt Edmonton to ask each player to center their own line.,The big concern is that the Oilers paid big for Draisaitl in large part based on his production alongside McDavid

In 2016-17, and by a large margin., Draisaitl’s most common linemates were Patrick Maroon and then McDavid

but it makes it scarier to hand him a massive extension without a large body of evidence that he can be a difference-maker on his own.,adidas Henrik Lundqvist jersey,Just like with virtually any talented forward,adidas Rick Nash jersey, Draisaitl saw a significant boost with McDavid vs. without him,authentic Rick Nash jersey,really,authentic Erik Karlsson jersey,  as Jonathan Willis illustrated in detail for Oilers Nation. That’s not the big German forward’s fault

The Oilers gave Draisaitl a bigger deal than a scorer with a larger body of work (and thus more proof that he’s a true top center) in Ryan Johansen and generally made him one of the highest-paid centers in the NHL.

Now, it’s not all doom and gloom. After all, sometimes without McDavid goosing his numbers., part of the reason for the big raise was how well he played in the playoffs

Even so, and now many people will expect Draisaitl to be the Malkin to McDavid’s Crosby., that’s a small sample size

That’s a dangerous proposition, he’s under a lot of pressure.,adidas Mats Zuccarello jersey, and the Oilers might not have a ton to fall back on if Draisaitl has trouble dealing with the stresses that come with getting a huge contract. No doubt about it