Elliotte Friedman shares what McDavid's salary could look like on next contract
Photo credit: NHL.com
Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman recently shared what Connor McDavid's salary could look like on his next deal with the Edmonton Oilers.
The Edmonton Oilers took care of a key piece of business recently, locking up Leon Draisaitl to an eight-year extension worth $14 million per season starting in 2025-25 and next summer, it'll be Connor McDavid's turn to put pen-to-paper.
With Draisaitl's $14 million likely the starting point for Connor McDavid's AAV on his next contract, Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman shared with the Oilers captain could be looking at salary-wise.
"No, I don't think it does, overall in the sense that it...look, the story I've always heard about with Connor McDavid's last negotiation, Jeff Jackson, who is now the President of the Oilers, was the agent at the time. One of the things they said was...the maximum any player can be paid of the cap is 20 percent and at the time, they said, we're not going to ask for 20 percent. The Oilers said 'thank god' because if they were to ask for 20 percent, they would've paid it. But McDavid wasn't interested in that." Friedman said.
He went on to add, "I think his number will be higher, he deserves to be the highest-paid player in the league, he's the best paid player in the league and we'll see how it plays out, but I would expect the conversation to be somewhat similar. If McDavid asks for 20 percent, the Oilers will have no choice but to pay it. But he wants to win and that's the thing about this. People can argue where players want to play, whether it's the weather or the taxes, whether it's the intensity or the pressure, but the bottom line is they want to be in a situation where they believe they can win.
Draisaitl said a year ago that he believes the Oilers are all about winning, they got so close this year, that's where players want to play. I believe because the Oilers are there, McDavid will want to stay and the other thing I really believe is, I've always believed this was a negotiation not only about Draisaitl, but also about McDavid. Draisaitl played it very coy today, he's not going to speak for McDavid, but I think he has...they're so tight, he knows how McDavid is thinking and as long as these guys think they can win, they're going to be very happy in Edmonton."
Must read on Bladeofsteel
The NHL's salary cap is expected to rise once again next summer, which will give the Oilers a better opportunity to examine their options on what they can offer Connor McDavid on his new deal, which will kick in ahead of the 2026-27 campaign. Based on the league's current salary cap of $88 million, the maximum a player can be offered per season is $17.6 million. Granted, next summer the cap will jump again, potentially as high as $92 million, which could see McDavid be offered a max salary of $18.4 million.
When July 1st, 2025 rolls around, the National Hockey League could be looking at it's star player earn the biggest contract in history, both in total dollars and average annual value.
Source: Elliotte Friedman/SportsnetDoes Draisaitl's new deal impact McDavid's future with the Oilers?
Previously on Bladeofsteel
POLL |
8 SEPTEMBRE | 120 ANSWERS Elliotte Friedman shares what McDavid's salary could look like on next contract What do you think McDavid's AAV will be on his next contract? |
$16-$16.75 million | 60 | 50 % |
$17-$17.75 million | 26 | 21.7 % |
$18-$18.75 million | 34 | 28.3 % |
List of polls |
Latest 10 stories