Now there is no hope of Leon Draisaitl ever joining the Chicago Blackhawks

It was a long shot, but there was still a shot the Chicago Blackhawks could have landed Edmonton Oilers star Leon Draisaitl in free agency next summer.

Flush with cap space, the Hawks would have been able to offer Draisaitl enough money to leave Canada.

Instead, Draisaitl will be staying with the Oilers through the 2032-2033 season.

He just signed an eight-year, $112 million contract extension that has him now with the largest annual average cap hit in the NHL.

Therefore, the dream of him skating wearing a Blackhawks sweater has died.

Now the thought of Draisaitl skating on the same line with Connor Bedard is pure fantasy. Instead, he will continue to rack up goals with Connor McDavid at his side.

Signing Draisaitl would have had the same impact as when the Blackhawks added Marian Hossa. However, the team is not in the same position as it was in 2009 when it added Hossa as the final piece to put the club over the top and win three Stanley Cups the next decade.

The only consolation is not having Draisaitl on the books will not put a stranglehold on the Hawks' salary cap situation.

Otherwise, it would have been amazing to have Leon on the club after this season. It does not mean time stops for the Blackhawks because it is rare these days that elite players ever hit free agency. In a league that still uses some of the gate to pay players, a team can ill-afford to let a draw just walk away for nothing.

No one puts on a show like Draisaitl and McDavid. It just would have been great to see him put on an event with Connor Bedard for the rest of the decade rather than Connor McDavid.