"Instead, the Edmonton Oilers captain signed at a discounted rate in order to take advantage of the team's Stanley Cup window. This, in and of itself, is a shock. After all, if the tremendous yet injury-stricken Kaprizov can become the highest paid NHLer of all time overnight, then surely McDavid as a five-time Art Ross winner and three-time MVP"
"Instead, McDavid opted for a short-term, two-year contract extension at $12.5 million that will kick in for the 2026-27 season. For comparison's sake, when The Athletic conducted its annual player polls, every single player responded that McDavid deserves a higher salary than that. Some even guessed that he would become the first player to reach a $20 million paycheck per season, while others opined that he should get "whatever he wants.""
"Yet, by signing for two additional years at such a bargain, McDavid shows tremendous faith in the ability of the Oilers to go all the way after being disappointed in back-to-back seasons falling in the Stanley Cup Final to the Florida Panthers. The clock is now ticking, and Edmonton has three seasons left to prove to the NHL's most elite skater that the team is capable of claiming greatness at long last. But how likely is that to happen this season?"
Kirill Kaprizov's record-breaking contract prompted expectations that Connor McDavid would demand an even larger deal, but McDavid chose a short-term two-year extension at $12.5 million AAV. The extension sacrifices roughly $12.6 million across the next two seasons and delays a higher payday until 2026-27. Teammates and peers widely believe McDavid merits a far higher salary. The decision signals strong faith in Edmonton's immediate championship window after consecutive Stanley Cup Final losses to the Florida Panthers. The Oilers return most of their core — including Draisaitl, Hyman, Nugent-Hopkins, Nurse, and Bouchard — with high expectations for 2025-26.
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