Fans won’t stop talking about one photo from Leon Draisaitl’s wedding

NHL superstar Leon Draisaitl had a great time at his wedding, which took place in France over the past few days. The Edmonton Oilers star tied the knot with Canadian actress Celeste Desjardins and celebrated in style with several of his teammates, including close friend and captain Connor McDavid.

Many photos from the celebration have been shared online, but it’s a particular image posted on Draisaitl’s official Instagram story that caught everyone’s attention, and has since gone viral.

In it, the Oilers’ star forward is sitting at a table without his shoes and with… a cigarette in his mouth. Usually, that’s the kind of picture professional athletes prefer not to make public, but Draisaitl doesn’t seem the least bit bothered in the shot.

I sincerely believe it is unlikely that cigarette will slow down Draisaitl’s on-ice exploits. After all, he’s just come off the fourth 50-goal season of his career and his sixth season with at least 100 points.

At the start of the 2025-26 season, he’ll kick off the first year of his eight-year contract, which will earn him an average of $14 million per season. He will be the league’s highest-paid player (on average) next season, though his teammate McDavid is expected to surpass him the following year.

Reports have recently emerged that McDavid will not be taking a “hometown discount” in the $16 million range so the team can sign more players. The NHL’s salary cap will be $104 million in 2026-27, which means the maximum AAV allowed for one player is $20.8 million. The Athletic’s Dom Luszczyszyn projects McDavid at $19.5 million AAV.

For now, McDavid, and especially Draisaitl are having fun, and no matter what some hockey fans are commenting on the viral picture of the cigarette in his mouth, the Oilers’ German forward is not letting it bothering him one bit.