Leon Draisaitl has accumulated over 1050 points in over 850 NHL games, has received the Hart Trophy, the Art Ross Trophy, the Ted Lindsay Award and the Rocket Richard Trophy, and was the first ever German player to win any of these. He currently has a contract with the Edmonton Oilers until 2033 worth 112 million dollars.
While he has yet to win a Stanley Cup, he’s come this close more than just about anyone, with a loss in a Game 7 in the 2024 Final and another in 2025. The full record.
Leon Draisaitl at a Glance:
Checked September 2026.
| Detail | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Leon Draisaitl |
| Date of birth | 27 October 1995 |
| Age | 30, turning 31 in October 2026 |
| Birthplace | Cologne, Germany |
| Team | Edmonton Oilers, where he is an alternate captain |
| Position | Centre. Shoots left |
| Height and weight | 6 ft 2 in, listed at 215 pounds as of September 2026 |
| Squad number | 29 |
| Drafted | Third overall by Edmonton in 2014 |
| Career points | Over 1,050 in more than 850 regular season games |
| Contract | Eight years and 112 million dollars, signed 1 September 2024 |
| Cap hit | 14 million dollars, running through 2032-33 |
| Career earnings | Roughly 86.8 million dollars |
| Major awards | Hart Trophy, Art Ross Trophy and Ted Lindsay Award in 2020, Rocket Richard Trophy in 2025 |
| Stanley Cups | None. Edmonton lost the Final in 2024 and 2025 |
| Wife | Celeste Desjardins, the Canadian actress, married August 2025 |
| Checked | September 2026 |
The Numbers:
Draisaitl has been among the most productive players in hockey for the better part of a decade. The recent seasons show it clearly.
Selected seasons and career totals, regular season. Figures entering 2026-27.
| Season | GP | G | A | Pts | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-22 | 80 | 55 | 55 | 110 | A 55-goal season, and 32 points in 16 playoff games |
| 2023-24 | 81 | 41 | 65 | 106 | 31 points in 25 playoff games as Edmonton reached Game 7 of the Final |
| 2024-25 | 71 | 52 | 54 | 106 | Won the Rocket Richard Trophy as the league’s leading goal scorer |
| 2025-26 | 65 | 35 | 62 | 97 | Cut short by a lower-body injury. Roughly 1.49 points per game |
| Career | 856 | 434 | 620 | 1,054 | Plus 151 points in 102 playoff games |
There are two things worth highlighting from this table.
Season number one is 2024-25. He scored 52 goals in just 71 games and was the only player in the league to crack 50, with William Nylander in Toronto pushing him with only 45. He achieved that in a season when he and Connor McDavid missed lots of games, and it earned him the Rocket Richard Trophy.
The second is 2025-26. 65 games was by far his lowest full-season total in his career. His year was truncated by a lower-body injury that caused him to miss the final month of the season. Despite the shortened year he managed to tally 97 points, or an average of approximately 1.49/ game, which projects to about 120 points over a full schedule. He played in the playoffs and had points in all 6 games of Edmonton’s first-round series versus Anaheim, which the Oilers lost.
The Contract:
On 1 September 2024, Draisaitl signed an eight-year extension worth 112 million dollars, which at the time made him the highest-paid player in the NHL by average annual value.
The deal in full, in US dollars.
| Amount or term | Detail | |
|---|---|---|
| Term | 8 years | 2025-26 through 2032-33. He becomes a free agent in 2033, at 37 |
| Total value | 112,000,000 | Signed 1 September 2024 |
| Cap hit | 14,000,000 | The highest in the NHL when he signed it |
| Signing bonus share | 104,000,000 | Of the 112 million total. Lockout protection, as with most elite deals |
| 2026-27 pay | 16,500,000 | A 1 million dollar base salary plus a 15.5 million dollar signing bonus |
| Cap percentage | 13.5 | Down from 14.66 percent in the first year, as the cap rises |
| Clause | No-move | Standard for a contract of this size |
| Previous contract | 68,000,000 | Eight years, signed in 2017, at 8.5 million a season |
It is also helpful to understand two details. One is the shape; 104 of the 112 has come as signing bonus, with only a million dollar base salary in this season. Signing bonuses are paid whether or not there are games to play so the shape of the deal insulates him against a work-stoppage. This is now de rigeur on top NHL deals.
The second is to what has happened to it since. It was the largest cap hit in the league in September 2024 at 14 million dollars. Two years later it is fourth behind Cale Makar (20.4 million), Macklin Celebrini (18.8 million) and Leo Carlsson (18 million). The cap hit percentage that Draisaitl has had to absorb has fallen from 14.66 to 13.5 and can expect to fall further as the salary cap increases into the projected 113.5 million dollars in 2027-28.
He has not deteriorated. The Oilers haven’t renegotiated. The market shifted, which is in fact what happens to long term deals signed in a rising cap environment and explains why teams will be prepared to pay record sums for five or six years at a time.
The Trophy Case:
Major individual awards.
| Award | Year | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Hart Trophy | 2020 | League most valuable player. The first German player to win it |
| Art Ross Trophy | 2020 | Led the NHL in scoring. Also a German first |
| Ted Lindsay Award | 2020 | Most outstanding player, as voted by the players themselves |
| Rocket Richard Trophy | 2025 | Led the NHL with 52 goals, the only player to pass 50 that season. Another German first |
| Stanley Cup | None | Edmonton lost the Final in 2024, in seven games, and again in 2025 |
The 2020 season was the one that made him. He won the Art Ross as the leading scorer in the league, the Hart as the league’s most valuable player and the Ted Lindsay as the players’ own choosing for the best player. To win all three in one season is uncommon, and he was the first German to win any.
The Rocket Richard back in 2025 was a set that no German player had even approach at all. For a country with such a thin hockey background compared to Canada, Russia, Sweden, or the US it was quite a chunk of history.
The McDavid Question:
A nagging question for many about Draisaitl is this, and it’s time someone answered it directly:
Playing with Connor McDavid, popularly considered the best player in the world, opens up the possibility of a Draisaitl numbers been a product of the environment. The counter evidence is clear. He has played at an elite level when away from McDavid, Edmonton has often broken up McDavid and Draisaitl to operate with two scoring lines, and his Rocket Richard Trophy for 2024-25 came in a season when both men were out for significant periods.
What is safe to say is the pair have improved each other, and that Edmonton’s special teams have been one of the most dominant units the league has seen ever with the pair on the ice. 16 goals and 26 assists came on the power play for Draisaitl in 2025-26, which makes up 42 of his 97 points.
The Missing Piece:
Draisaitl has lost in 2 Stanley Cup Final appearances.
The 2024 loss was more painful. Edmonton trailed Florida three games to none, then won three in a row and lost Game 7. Draisaitl recorded 31 points in 25 playoff games that spring. They made it back to the Final in 2025 and lost for a second time.
In 2025-26 the run was over again, this time at the first round stage against Anaheim. He’s aged 30, under contract until 2033, and not out of it yet, but if the Oilers should have had two bites at the cherry and missed them…
Away From the Rink:
On 2 August 2025, Draisaitl married Canadian actress Celeste Desjardins at a chateau in Provence. The couple, who had been dating since 2018, were introduced by fellow teammates Connor McDavid and Lauren Kyle.
A full account of her career can be found on our other page about her (Ball ‘s career!), including the Mallorca proposal and wedding weekend, so we will not go into detail here.
Final Take:
Leon Draisaitl is the most successful German hockey player ever, and arguably one of the top half-dozen forwards alive. He’s got a Hart, an Art Ross, a Ted Lindsay and a Rocket Richard, over 1,050 points, and a contract till 2033. He also has a pair of Stanley Cup Final losses and no ring. At age 30, with 7 years to go on the contract, that is the one space left to fill.
Frequently Asked Questions:
How old is Leon Draisaitl?
He was born on 27 October 1995 in Cologne, Germany, making him 30 and turning 31 in October 2026.
How much is Leon Draisaitl’s contract worth?
112 million dollars over eight years, signed on 1 September 2024, at a cap hit of 14 million. It runs through the 2032-33 season.
Is Leon Draisaitl the highest paid player in the NHL?
He was when he signed in September 2024. He is now fourth, behind Cale Makar at 20.4 million, Macklin Celebrini at 18.8 million and Leo Carlsson at 18 million.
What awards has Leon Draisaitl won?
The Hart Trophy, Art Ross Trophy and Ted Lindsay Award in 2020, and the Rocket Richard Trophy in 2025. He was the first German player to win each of them.
How many points does Leon Draisaitl have?
Over 1,050 in more than 850 regular season games, plus 151 points in 102 playoff games, entering 2026-27.
Has Leon Draisaitl won a Stanley Cup?
No. Edmonton lost the Final in 2024, in seven games to Florida after trailing three games to none, and lost again in 2025.
Who is Leon Draisaitl’s wife?
Canadian actress Celeste Desjardins. They married on 2 August 2025 in Provence, having been introduced by Connor McDavid and Lauren Kyle.
Where was Leon Draisaitl drafted?
Third overall by the Edmonton Oilers in 2014.
How much has Leon Draisaitl earned?
Roughly 86.8 million dollars in career on-ice earnings so far. His current contract will add considerably more through 2033.
Also read about: Martin Brodeur Net Worth: The Documented Earnings, and Why the Usual Figure Is Stale
