Elliotte Friedman reveals the truth about Connor McDavid's next salary
Leon Draisaitl just signed a deal worth $14 million per year, and now, Edmonton Oilers fans are curious about how much money Connor McDavid will be making.
McDavid's next contract will kick in during the 2026-27 season, although many expect him to sign an extension next summer. Some are throwing around some pretty massive numbers. In fact, there is a sense that McDavid will make at least $16 million per year on his next contract.
On the most recent episode of 32 Thoughts, Elliotte Friedman gave some interesting context to the situation. Essentially, he believes that McDavid will become the highest paid player ever. Moreover, he believes the Oilers will pay him whatever he wants. However, the Oilers must operate within the CBA's 20 percent rule. One player cannot make more than 20 percent of the salary cap.
"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."
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."
Interestingly enough, the salary cap should be going up to $92 million next summer. That means that the maximum salary McDavid could receive would be $18.4 million. However, as Friedman noted, McDavid has never been interested in eating up 20 percent of the cap. Only time will tell whether or not he changes up his tune.
How much do you think McDavid will make on his next contract? Let us know in the poll down below and stay tuned to Hockey Unplugged for the latest news and updates from around the hockey world.
Source: 32 Thoughts
Does Draisaitl's new deal impact McDavid's future with the Oilers?
| POLL | ||
How much do you think Connor McDavid will make on his next deal? | ||
| $15 million | 26 | 24.5 % |
| $16 million | 27 | 25.5 % |
| $17 million | 27 | 25.5 % |
| $18 million | 26 | 24.5 % |
| List of polls | ||
MUST READ
TRENDING NOW
