If Leon Draisaitl won’t sign an extension with the Edmonton Oilers, the Boston Bruins could be interested.
Jimmy Murphy of Boston Hockey Now: A few weeks ago Georges Laraque said on 91.9 FM in Montreal that Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl would be interested in playing for the Boston Bruins if he doesn’t re-sign with the Oilers.
Laraque told BHN:
“Someone in the team told me that there is a chance that Leon won’t resign with the Oilers and the importance of this playoff game was big because of that, and when we talk about who could be at a high level, we said Boston because they don’t have centers.”
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Obviously the Bruins could use a first line center like Draisaitl. He still has one more year at $8.5 million. Another source would not say whether Draisaitl will sign an extension with the Oilers but said Draisaitl and David Pastrnak worked together in Prague during the season and have become friends.
There are several UFA centers the Bruins could be interested in, or they could wait for a bigger fish.
Fluto Shinzawa of the Athletic: The Boston Bruins have more than $20 million in cap space, more if they trade for goaltender Linus Ullmark. They need help from the center.
They have room to sign pending UFAs such as Elias Lindholm, Steven Stamkos or Max Domi when they hit the open market.
If the Bruins decide to wait a year, Leon Draisaitl could be available. If the Oilers want to keep Draisaitl, they may have to make him the NHL’s highest-paid player, surpassing Auston Matthew’s $13.25 million.
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If the Oilers can’t extend Draisaitl, they won’t want to lose him for nothing. The asking price could be huge and may not be something the Bruins can match.
