The Edmonton Oilers are already the winners of next offseason. Why is that? They were able to re-sign Connor McDavid to a new contract before he was set to hit free agency next summer. McDavid would have commanded a gigantic contract from interested teams. But instead, the superstar shocked the entire hockey world by signing a two-year, $25 million contract extension.
Oilers fans were ecstatic by this news, as McDavid showed a commitment to winning a Stanley Cup in Edmonton, as it gave them financial flexibility to make additional moves to help bolster the roster. The rest of the hockey world was stunned by the terms of McDavid's contract. As it turns out, so were the Oilers.
Oilers CEO of hockey operations Jeff Jackson spoke to The Athletic about negotiations with McDavid. Jackson said that he was confident that the team would be able to successfully agree on a new contract with McDavid. But Jackson was taken aback when McDavid let it be known that he didn't want a raise and that he would stick with a $12.5 million annual salary.
“Which was actually a surprise to us,” Jackson said. “But that’s so on-brand for Connor.”
Oilers CEO admits being surprised about Connor McDavid's team-friendly contract
Jackson continued, saying that he didn't feel that the team was on the clock to win at least one Stanley Cup this season and the next two years. Rather, it's still business as usual for the Oilers.
“The number that Connor took for his cap hit — really, like, what were the options over one or two years? He’s not taking $12.5 million for an extended period of time. So it’s a decision he made in the short term so that we have three years at $12.5 million, and yeah, our goal is to continue to be a good team and be there at the end. His deal doesn’t change that. I don’t feel like we’re on the clock any more than we were on the clock two years ago, to be honest.”
The McDavid contract came days after Kirill Kaprizov reset the market by securing an eight-year, $136 million contract extension with the Minnesota Wild. The expectation was that the like of McDavid and Jack Eichel could secure even more lucrative deals if they were to explore free agency. But as we all know, McDavid signed a short-term deal with no raise, while Eichel is earning $13.5 million annually over eight years.
McDavid not breaking the bank will allow the Oilers to make some huge complementary moves in the near future to help them hoist the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1990. Let's not forget that the NHL is on pace to see the cap space increase each year. So, McDavid's deal is going to be a bargain, and could help the team make moves in free agency or the trade block.
McDavid is committed to bringing a Cup back to Edmonton. The Oilers appreciate that, but even they were shocked that he didn't want a pay raise on the short term deal.