Connor McDavid finally has a new, and very expensive, contract. After reports at the end of June that McDavid would be sporting a $106 million deal starting in 2018, the Oilers put an official stamp on a $100 million contract for him on Wednesday.
Connor McDavid left $6 million on the table to help Oilers build around him, per reports
The Oilers captain reportedly requested a lower cap hit to make it easier for the team to build a Stanley Cup contender around him.
Photo by Rich Lam/Getty Images
In total, the difference between the reported contract from June is $6 million. The original reported deal had an average annual value of $13.25 million, while McDavid’s real contract has a $12.5 million AAV.
Apparently, McDavid was the one to lower his demands to help the team elsewhere.
Moments before the signing was released, TSN insider Bob McKenzie tweeted some details as to why there was a $6 million drop in McDavid’s official terms.
David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period also followed up on the report that McDavid “wasn’t comfortable” with the number in his contract and reportedly asked to re-negotiate.
It’s not a surprise that in today’s “team first” hockey culture that McDavid would have settled on a lower number to put less pressure on the Oilers’ salary cap situation. The 20-year-old rightly commanded a huge chunk of Edmonton’s salary cap considering the caliber of player he is, but we’ve seen how teams like the Blackhawks have struggled to build around expensive superstars.
The Oilers also have to sign current RFA Leon Draisaitl sometime this summer, and the extra $750,000 in space that McDavid left on the table could be key in fitting all the pieces together.
It’s hard not to wonder if some of the backlash in Edmonton media made McDavid reconsider his big payday.
At the end of the day, however, McDavid will be paid the highest individual cap hit in NHL history. And rightfully so.
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