Edmonton Oilers

The only known sealed case of O-Pee-Chee Hockey wax boxes from Wayne Gretzky's rookie season sold on Thursday for a record $2.52 million at Heritage Auctions.

The sale set a record for the most expensive unopened trading cards package in auction history, according to The Athletic's Brooks Peck.

The box contains 10,752 trading cards from Gretzky's rookie season, according to Heritage. The auction house estimated that the case will contain 27 Gretzky rookie cards.

There have been 13,887 Gretzky rookie cards graded by PSA, according to CLLCT's Will Stern. Just two of those cards have received the highest possible rating, a Gem Mint 10.

Should a third mint condition card be discovered in the box, it could potentially set a new record for the most expensive NHL card ever sold. A 1979 OPC Gretzky rookie card graded at a Gem Mint 10 level by PSA set the current hockey card record in 2021 when Heritage sold it for $3.75 million.

A Gretzky rookie card in slightly less than mint condition would be significantly less valuable. There have been 95 Gretzky rookie cards graded a PSA 9, and one was most recently sold for $122,000, per Stern and Peck.

The OPC case fetched $1.2 million less than when it was last at auction. Heritage sold the case in February for a record $3.72 million to Ontario real estate agent Jack Arshawsky.

The case was put back on auction after Arshawsky did not complete his payments to Heritage. Because of the difference in sale prices, Arshawsky could potentially take legal action against the auction house, Peck reported.

Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid will return to the ice for Wednesday's game against the Vegas Golden Knights.

He told reporters he "feel(s) good" and is "looking forward to going and getting back in there."

McDavid has been out of action since Edmonton's 6-1 defeat to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Oct. 28 due to an ankle injury.

The Oilers initially set his timeline to return at two to three weeks, so coming back by Wednesday beats even the most conservative estimates.

"I certainly did, I felt not very good about it," he said of his initial concerns over the injury. "Ultimately, sometimes it can feel bad and swell up and stuff, but it can clear up pretty quick."

Having the 27-year-old is a massive boost for Edmonton, which has regained its footing after a 2-4-1 start to the 2024-25 season. The team has won four of its last six games and is only one point behind the St. Louis Blues for the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference.

Despite the time missed because of his ankle injury, McDavid is second on the Oilers in points (10) with three goals and seven assists.

The Edmonton Oilers will be without their on-ice leader after an ankle injury in Monday's loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Edmonton announced Wednesday that McDavid is expected to miss two to three weeks with the ailment after NHL insider Elliotte Friedman previously reported Wednesday that McDavid avoided a "worst-case scenario" with the injury.

The future Hall of Famer suffered the injury within the first minute of the game, as Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski tripped him up and sent him into the right boards.

"There was nothing intentional at all. It's a nonissue," Werenski told reporters. "I was just reaching for the puck and might have nicked him.

"It's just really [lousy]. It [stinks]. He's the best player in the world. You want him on the ice."

McDavid already has 10 points (three goals and seven assists) in his first 10 games this season and is the primary playmaker in Edmonton's attack. He led the league in assists in each of the last two years and has led the league in points five times in his illustrious career.

Expectations are once again high for the Oilers after reaching last season's Stanley Cup Final in large part because of McDavid's individual brilliance. The offense simply isn't the same without him, as he is one of the league's most dangerous goal scorers all while having the ability to create better looks for his teammates with the defensive attention he receives.

While Edmonton still has Leon Draisaitl to lead the offense, others will need to elevate their games as well as the team attempts to tread water without McDavid.

Look for Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Adam Henrique and Derek Ryan to take on more responsibilities at the center position for the next couple of weeks. They will need to play well, as the team can't afford to fall into too deep of a slump after a slow start with a 4-5-1 record.

The Edmonton Oilers made superstar center Leon Draisaitl one of the most highly paid players in NHL history with a contract extension Tuesday.

The Oilers announced that they agreed to an eight-year, $112 million deal with Draisaitl, which will pay him $14 million annually.

Per Frank Seravalli, that makes Draisaitl the highest-paid player in NHL history in terms of average annual value, although the total value of his deal is behind the 13-year, $124 million contract Alex Ovechkin signed with the Washington Capitals in 2008.

Per SI.com's Karl Rasmussen, the 10 largest contracts in NHL history in total value are now as follows:

1. Alex Ovechkin (Washington Capitals): $124 million
2. Leon Draisaitl (Edmonton Oilers): $112 million
3. Shea Weber (Nashville Predators): $110 million
4. Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins): $104.4 million
5. Ilya Kovalchuk (New Jersey Devils): $102 million
6. Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado Avalanche): $100.8 million
7. Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers): $100 million
8. Ryan Suter (Minnesota Wild): $98 million
9. Zach Parise (Minnesota Wild): $98 million
10. Elias Pettersson (Vancouver Canucks): $92.8 million

Before signing his new deal, Draisaitl was set to become an unrestricted free agent following the 2024-25 season.

His new contract sets the Oilers up to continue deploying one of the league's best center lineups. Edmonton's captain, Connor McDavid, is currently signed through the 2025-26 campaign, but he figures to set the record for largest contract in NHL history when he gets his new deal.

Draisaitl's re-signing comes after both he and McDavid expressed hope he would sign an extension in postseason interviews.

"I love being an Oiler more than anything," Draisaitl said June 26 after the Edmonton's Stanley Cup Final loss to the Florida Panthers, per Robert Tychkowski of the Edmonton Journal.

Draisaitl will now continue being an Oiler, while Edmonton will hold on to a player who in 2023-24 recorded 40 goals and 100 points for the fifth time in six regular seasons.

He added 10 goals and 21 assists through 25 playoff games to help the Oilers reach the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2006.

Draisaitl, the No. 3 pick of the 2014 draft, is heading into his 11th season in Edmonton. He spent the past six campaigns as one of the most consistent producers in the NHL.

Since the beginning of the 2018-19 season, Draisaitl has established himself as arguably the best German NHL player of all time by racking up 272 goals and 643 points in his last 450 regular-season contests.

Only McDavid has more points, and only Toronto Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews has more goals, over that span.

Draisaitl's connection with McDavid has helped the Oilers maintain the most dangerous power play in the NHL over those six seasons, while his ability to succeed on his own at 5v5 has allowed Edmonton to deploy their two most efficient scorers on separate lines.

The Oilers will continue leaning on Draisaitl to drive the second line as Edmonton looks to earn redemption from their Cup Final loss with a championship in 2025.

Draisaitl's extension could also help the Oilers entice McDavid to stick around in Edmonton when the captain becomes eligible to sign a new contract next summer.

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 the highest-paid player in the NHL.

The Oilers announced on Tuesday that Draisaitl will sign an eight-year deal worth $14 million per season.

The $14 million annual salary for Draisaitl is the highest in NHL history. The total value of $112 million is the second-richest in league history, trailing only Alex Ovechkin's 13-year, $124 million deal that was signed in January 2008.

Draisaitl is just the seventh player who has receive a contract extension worth at least $100 million. He is the first player to get one since the Colorado Avalanche signed Nathan MacKinnon to an eight-year, $100.8 million deal in September 2022.

Edmonton now has two players who have signed $100 million deals. Connor McDavid has two years remaining on his eight-year, $100 million extension that was signed back in July 2017.

The Draisaitl-McDavid pairing has formed one of the most impactful duos in NHL history. Since they joined forces starting with the 2015-16 season, they have combined for 1,843 points in 1,327 games.

Prior to selecting Draisaitl with the No. 3 pick in the 2014 draft, the Oilers had missed the playoffs in eight consecutive seasons. They finished last in their division five times during that span.

The Oilers have made the postseason in six of the past eight seasons, including each of the previous five years. They advanced to the Stanley Cup Final last season for the first time since the 2005-06 campaign.

Edmonton became just the third team in NHL history to force a Game 7 in the Stanley Cup Final after falling behind 3-0 in the series. The last time it happened was 1945 when the Detroit Red Wings did it against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Oilers were unable to complete the historic comeback with a 2-1 loss at Florida in the decisive seventh game.

Draisaitl racked up 31 points in 25 games for the Oilers during that postseason run. The 28-year-old has put up at least 40 goals and 100 points in five of the past six seasons.

Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid and his wife Lauren Kyle were married this summer in Ontario, Canada.

The two celebrated their wedding on Lake Muskoka, which is located about two hours north of Toronto, according to new photos published by Vogue Australia.

McDavid had proposed to Kyle at the pair's cottage in the same area the summer prior.

Kyle told Vogue Australia's Will Lennox that McDavid's vows were "an unexpected element of the wedding."

"He is usually more reserved and quiet about his emotions but his vows were so emotional and heartfelt—it was really special to share that in front of all of our friends and family," Kyle said.

McDavid and Kyle, who have been dating since 2015, announced their engagement in June 2023. The two have a miniature bernedoodle together.

Kyle runs Kyle & Co. Design Studio, an interior design company based in Edmonton, while McDavid is heading into his 10th season with the Oilers.

McDavid, who is one of five NHL players to record 100 assists in a single season following his 132-point 2023-24 campaign, led the Oilers to within one win of the Stanley Cup in June. By the time he and his wife celebrate their first wedding anniversary, he will hope to have earned redemption with a championship in 2025.

The Edmonton Oilers have named former Chicago Blackhawks leader Stan Bowman as general manager and EVP of hockey operations.

Bowman will replace Ken Holland, who held the position from 2019 until the Oilers decided not to renew his contract following the team's loss in the 2024 Stanley Cup Final.

Bowman previously served as general manager of the Blackhawks from 2009 to 2021. He was banned from the league in October 2021 following an investigation into team leadership's handling of sexual assault allegations against former video coach Brad Aldrich in 2010.

The NHL reinstated Bowman on July 1, allowing him to seek employment in the league beginning July 10.

The NHL said in its reinstatement announcement that Bowman, alongside former Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville and former SVP of hockey operations Al MacIsaac, had demonstrated "unacceptable" responses to the allegations made in Chicago.

The league went on to say that each man had "acknowledged that and used his time away from the game to engage in activities which, not only demonstrate sincere remorse for what happened, but also evidence greater awareness of the responsibilities that all NHL personnel have."

The NHL added that Bowman and his former coworkers had participated in programs "focused on the imperative of responding in effective and meaningful ways to address alleged acts of abuse."

The Oilers referenced the "important work he has done in his time away from the game" when announcing Bowman's hiring.

The Blackhawks won three Stanley Cups in six years from 2010 to 2015 at the beginning of Bowman's run as general manager.

One of his biggest decisions made under his tenure was the move to sign former Blackhawks stars Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane to matching eight-year, $10.5 million AAV extensions in 2014, at the time setting a record for the highest annual values in the NHL. The pair went on to lead Chicago to one more championship after inking the new deals.

Bowman was also behind the decision to deal 25-year-old Artemi Panarin to the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2017 in exchange for Brandon Saad, a move that arguably jump-started the Blackhawks' decline from a playoff team to a perennial draft lottery contender.

He will now arrive in Edmonton at a pivotal moment for the future of the franchise.

Leon Draisaitl is heading into the final season of his contract and is currently on track to become an unrestricted free agent in 2025.

What the Oilers decide to do with Draisaitl's deal could impact what Connor McDavid, who is signed through 2025-26 with free agency on the horizon in 2026, decides to do with his next contract.

The Oilers ended this season three wins away from the championship. How Bowman decides to handle Draisaitl's contract this season will shape the team's likelihood of getting back to the Final next spring.

The Edmonton Oilers had little time between their heartbreaking loss in the Stanley Cup Final and the start of the 2024 NHL offseason. Edmonton has managed to navigate the early stages, despite having just before the draft.

The Oilers' latest move came on Friday, when the team dealt forward Ryan McLeod and prospect Tyler Tullio to the Buffalo Sabres in a deal that netted promising prospect Matthew Savoie. Now that McLeod and his $2.1 million cap hit have been offloaded, the Oilers have three tasks looming in front of them.

Edmonton needs to find its next general manager, and it also needs to work on contract extensions for Leon Draisaitl and Evan Bouchard.

Bouchard, who will be a restricted free agent next offseason, isn't likely to get his extension before the end of the summer, according to The Athletic's Daniel Nugent-Bowman:

CEO and acting GM Jeff Jackson appears content to wait on Draisaitl's extension until after a new full-time general manager has been hired.

"Jackson seems prepared to slow-play this, waiting until after a new GM is hired, letting everyone breathe," Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman wrote. "The Oilers won't be concerned if no concrete answers exist for a few weeks. They didn't have to know by the draft or July 1."

There is some logic in waiting for the next GM to negotiate Draisaitl's next deal since it will heavily impact future financial and roster decisions. However, it would behoove Jackson to at least lay the groundwork for an extension now.

There are two significant reasons for this. One is that Draisaitl and his agent, Jiri Poner, may not possess the patience that Edmonton does.

"There's no rush yet, but either it happens quickly, i.e. by the end of August, or it doesn't work out at all," Poner told Michael Bauer of Germany's EishockeyNews (h/t Kyle Richardson of The Hockey News).

Secondly, Draisaitl's future could be heavily tied to that of friend, teammate and reigning Conn Smythe-winner Connor McDavid—who is set to be a free agent in 2026.

According to Chris Johnston of The Athletic, the Oilers are worried about potentially losing Draisaitl while McDavid is entering a contract year:

"With Connor McDavid eligible to sign an extension 12 months down the line and the Oilers eager to extend their championship window as long as possible, there is at least some concern about the potential for a "double whammy" in the event Draisaitl were retained for 2024-25 without a new contract in place. It could create a scenario where he leaves for nothing just as McDavid is set to chart his own future."

Losing Draisaitl for nothing in free agency would be bad enough. Losing Draisaitl and McDavid over a two-year span would be disastrous. Letting Draisaitl enter the 2024-25 season without a new deal would be a massive risk, one that carries two alternatives.

Either the Oilers extend Draisaitl quickly, or they try to get something in return via a trade.

The latter option would be tricky and not much less of a gamble than putting off Draisaitl's extension. It's hard to envision a trade scenario in which Edmonton comes out a winner. Even a favorable trade could potentially rub McDavid the wrong way as he enters the final two years of his deal.

In addition to being close friends with McDavid, Draisaitl is a star contributor, one who produced an impressive 106 points in 81 games last season. Moving him could push the Oilers away from championship contention—and if McDavid doesn't view Edmonton as a contender, he could look to find one in free agency.

Jackson, a former assistant GM of the Toronto Maple Leafs, has enough knowledge and experience to start working on an extension now. That's exactly what he must do, even if he waits for a new general manager before having Draisaitl put pen to paper.

If the Oilers hope to keep their championship window open for the foreseeable future, they have to retain Draisaitl, and eventually, McDavid. When it comes to extending Draisaitl, time does not appear to be on Edmonton's side.

The NHL may be making headlines for a record-setting star to free agency Monday, with teams bringing new players on board in hopes of chasing a Stanley Cup victory, but the defending Western Conference champion Edmonton Oilers are working to convince one of their players to waive a no-trade clause.

Eliotte Friedman of the 32 Thoughts podcast reported that "there were rumors that they had asked Evander Kane to waive his no move clause but as of Saturday, that had not occurred," (h/t The Hockey News for the transcription).

According to CapFriendly, Kane's contract is a $5.125 million hit against the salary cap in 2024. It makes sense that the team would be interested in trading him and opening up at least some of that money so it can reload for another Stanley Cup run.

There is reason for the Oilers to want to hold onto him. Kane had his most points (44) since the 2020-21 season and added eight more during the playoffs. He played with steady consistency throughout the season and gave the team an average of 18:49 of ice team per game.

Still, the contract is too big to justify and the team has needs.

As it was a roster constructed of one-year deals and expiring contracts that the team acquired at the deadline, the Oilers will need to provide depth for its core.

The best way to accomplish that is to free up cap space and trade players who are either aging or whose value is in their monetary worth to the franchise.

That second one is the category that Kane falls in at this point.

Unfortunately for Edmonton, Kane holds all the cards and can refuse any trade based on the clause in his contract.

How the team gets him to waive that clause so that he can be dealt to an organization that can provide those depth players remains to be seen but the Oilers will not be able to maximize their roster as long as Kane and his $5 million are on the books.

There is relief for the team. In March, Kane's clause turns into a modified one, in which he has to present Edmonton with a list of 16 teams he does not want traded to. Everyone else would be fair game.

Whether that is too late in the game for the Oilers is the question.