The Edmonton Oilers star forward Connor McDavid still remains unsigned, with no contract extension in sight. Over the last few weeks, there have been numerous reports linking him to other teams around the NHL. However, Elliotte Friedman shared some insight on the McDavid front that has Oilers fans as well as other fan bases excited.
Friedman shared that he believes McDavid’s next contract, if it is with the Oilers, could be lower than originally expected. If that is true, it will drastically affect the market for other NHL stars.
Connor McDavid Could Take Less to Stay With Oilers
After all the talk of Connor McDavid already packing his bags and planning on becoming an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2026, Friedman quieted things with his comments on the 32 Thoughts the podcast. He suggested that McDavid could take a lower number than everyone expects.
“If McDavid signs in Edmonton, if he does, it’s going to be for a lower number than we all expect. I think it’s going to surprise people where it could end up.”
There is no question that if McDavid takes less, it will affect other NHL stars immediately. This coming summer, there are a lot of big-name players who could become UFAs, and they could all be forced to take less because of what McDavid does. As of right now, there isn’t a concrete number that has been offered by the Oilers. But according to Friedman, it could surprise some based on what Leon Draisaitl and Darnell Nurse make and how little cap flexibility the team has.
McDavid Will Set the Market for Future UFAs
There is no one in the NHL who should be making more than McDavid. He is the best hockey player in the league, consistently at the top of league scoring each season, and is due for a raise. However, if he decides to take less, whether it is with Edmonton or another NHL team, he will set the market. Right now, there are a handful of general managers keeping a close eye on what McDavid signs for.
Friedman touched on that as well on his podcast and used this as an example:
“Connor McDavid just signed three times 15.5. Do you think Minnesota goes back to Kaprizov and says, ‘Ah, McDavid signed for 15.5, we’re dropping your number down’? No, I don’t believe that. I don’t believe that happens. But I think there are some managers hopeful that if McDavid comes in at a lower number than people expect, that could help push some of these things downward.”
Furthermore, players like Kirill Kaprizov, Kyle Connor, and even Jack Eichel could try to get their contracts dealt with before McDavid signs, just in case his contract does set the market and asking prices fall. No one truly knows what will happen yet. What we do know is that McDavid has the potential to get 20 percent of the cap if he were to leave the Oilers. And if he does, no one will be making more than him. Therefore, McDavid’s next contract has the chance not only to set the market but potentially also to reset it.
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