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Big Twist in Connor McDavid's Contract Negotiations Shakes Up Edmonton
Per a new report from analyst Jim Matheson, Oilers captain Connor McDavid is likely to re-sign with the club, but it will be him who sets the terms on his new deal.
The Edmonton Oilers are going to try and do everything possible to re-sign superstar captain Connor McDavid, who is about to enter the final year of his current contract and could become the most high-profile UFA arguably in NHL history next summer.
McDavid, who has now lost in the SCF twice in a row with the Oilers, has already seen the Oilers re-sign teammates Leon Draisaitl and Evan Bouchard to massive new contracts.
The good news is that the salary cap is going up, meaning the Oilers would be able to better afford a long-term, expensive deal for McDavid to keep him in Edmonton.
David Pagnotta: Re Connor McDavid extension: My guess is in that $16m range, over a 4 or 5 year extension, 16 to 17, in that vicinity - Melnick in the Afternoon
Per a new report from Jim Matheson of The Edmonton Journal, it will be McDavid who sets the terms on his new deal.
"McDavid will write in the dollar amount and the years and the team will say thank-you. No real need for negotiation. Any thought that he would leave Draisaitl high and dry and not resign is silly. Connor's wife Lauren also has business interests here to keep 97 tied to our city for several more years."
Matheson also said that McDavid is likely to re-sign, but that it won't be for the long-term.
"Yes he will, with one year left on his $12.5 million AAV Oilers contract but it will be a three- or four-year extension."
The Oilers will open their pre-season schedule against the Calgary Flames on September 21.
The Oilers may soon have a massive percentage of their cap tied up in 3 players
As mentioned, the Oilers have already re-signed both Leon Draisaitl and Evan Bouchard.
Draisaitl's contract pays him an AAV (average annual value) of $14 million, while Bouchard's deal, signed this summer, pays him an AAV of $10.5 million.
This means that with McDavid's expected extension, the Oilers could be spending close to $40 million annually on just 3 players.
| POLL | ||
AOUT 9 | 99 ANSWERS Big Twist in Connor McDavid's Contract Negotiations Shakes Up Edmonton Will Connor McDavid re-sign with the Oilers? | ||
| Yes | 68 | 68.7 % |
| No | 31 | 31.3 % |
| List of polls | ||