The best player in the National Hockey League is staying in Edmonton. Connor McDavid, who could have been a free agent at the end of the season, has signed a two-year $25 million extension with the Oilers.
The deal essentially means the 28-year-old Edmonton Oilers captain is giving the team three years to win a Stanley Cup and leaving several million on the table to help them do it. The three-time league MVP was in the final year of his current eight-year, $100 million contract. Adding the two-year extension means the club has him under contract through the 2027-2028 season.
Download the SAN app today to stay up-to-date with Unbiased. Straight Facts™.
Point phone camera here
Why did McDavid give the Oilers a discount?
It also means McDavid said no to a raise from his current $12.5 million yearly salary. Oilers General Manager Stan Bowman called the contract talks “unique” because the terms and dollars were never discussed; McDavid decided on those details after other questions were answered.
“When you have a negotiation, it’s more about back and forth on the terms or the structure of the deal. But that was never talked about,” Bowman said. “It was really just the other parts of just where we’re headed and the vision for the team and how we’re going to improve and all those types of discussions.”
The Oilers and McDavid have fallen just short of the championship the past two seasons, losing in back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals to the Florida Panthers. Bowman said the discount McDavid is taking will help improve the team, not only this season but long-term.
“It’s obvious what he wants, which is he wants to win, and his actions have shown that,” Bowman said. “I think that’s a pretty inspiring thing for a player to see. So each player’s situation is different, but if I’m a player that’s thinking of coming to Edmonton for next year, it gets me pretty excited knowing how committed the captain is.”
Why does this deal increase the pressure on the Oilers?
The inspiration and the payroll flexibility are nice, but now the pressure to win a Stanley Cup is even greater with McDavid possibly hitting the market in 2028 as the biggest free agent in league history.
“It’s a great situation to be in,” Bowman said. “We’re optimistic for where we are right now. I like our group for this year, and getting off to a good start is important. So, we’re looking at that right now. Then, as we get into the season more and you start looking at the deadline and the off-season, then we certainly have more options than we would have otherwise, and that’s fantastic.”
Who is making more money than McDavid?
McDavid continues to produce at a near-unprecedented level as he enters his 11th season in the league, averaging 42 goals and 125 points per season. His deal is much lower than Kirill Kaprizov’s record-setting eight-year, $136 million contract with the Minnesota Wild, valued at $17 million per season. Kaprizov signed the deal last week, making him the highest-paid player in the league.
McDavid isn’t even the highest-paid player on his team; that honor goes to Leon Draisaitl, who signed an 8-year, $112 million contract last season.
McDavid will likely outline his reasons for taking less money and fewer years on his deal in the next day or two. He announced his intention to stay in Edmonton on his social media account, posting a montage of four pictures with one simple line, “Our journey here continues.”
The NHL season opens Tuesday night. The Oilers play their first game on Wednesday when they host the Calgary Flames.
