Report: Oilers intend on burning the first year of Draisaitl's ELC
To no one's surprise, the Edmonton Oilers will reportedly burn a year of center Leon Draisaitl's entry-level contract when the 2014 third overall pick appears in his 10th game of the season this week:
Can confirm Leon Draisaitl will play his tenth NHL game vs Preds Wednesday. Not going back to junior for now.
— Ryan Rishaug (@TSNRyanRishaug) October 28, 2014
Since Draisaitl was drafted out of the CHL and is under the age of 20, the Oilers could have elected to preserve the first year of his entry-level contract had they re-assigned him to the Prince Albert Raiders prior to his 10th appearance in an NHL game.
That's not the usual Oilers modus operandi though, and it's not a huge surprise that the big, German-born center will follow the trail blazed by Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Nail Yakupov. Draisaitl will likely remain in the NHL for the duration of his age 18 season.