Less than three weeks after the Edmonton Oilers made it to Game 7 of the NHL’s Stanley Cup Final, the team’s German superstar centre has revealed he and his girlfriend are engaged.
Leon Draisaitl, 28, posted photos on Instagram Thursday of him on a beach proposing to Celeste Desjardins.
The post simply says “Forever,” followed by a heart emoji. The post indicates the couple is on the island of Mallorca in Spain.
Desjardins, 28, was born in Sudbury, Ont., and is an actress whose credits include Taken, Letterkenny, as well as several Hallmark romance films.
The NHL’s official German account congratulated the couple with a post on social media that said “love is in the air.”
Draisaitl, 28, helped the Oilers reach the Stanley Cup Final this summer, the first time the team has accomplished the feat in 18 years. The club eventually lost the championship to the Florida Panthers.
Draisaitl is entering the final year of his current eight-year contract with the Oilers. Since the NHL playoffs came to an end late last month, hockey commentators have been speculating about when or if the beloved Oiler will sign a contract extension with the team.
In the days following the end of the playoffs, Edmonton Oilers CEO of hockey operations Jeff Jackson said negotiations had not yet started with Draisaitl. He added he would likely speak with his agent at the NHL Entry Draft.
“I think it’s critically important that the general manager is in place before we get into the meat of that discussion because I’m sure for Leon and his representatives, they’re going to want to know what the vision is, who the GM is, all of those sorts of things. It’s a big move,” Jackson said on June 27.