It’s finally Connor McDavid day in Edmonton. Days ahead of their season opener, the Edmonton Oilers captain inked a contract extension that instantly garnered attention from the NHL world.
McDavid, who could’ve signed for as much as 20% of the cap, signed a short-term deal, giving the Oilers a short leash. What’s more, McDavid’s new contract doesn’t even scratch the surface of how much he could’ve squeezed out of the franchise.
Is Connor McDavid’s Team-Friendly Contract the Blueprint for Future NHL Superstars?
Yes, it’s time for a celebration in Edmonton, with McDavid signing a two-year, $25 million deal. At $12.5 million a year, his new contract is a far cry from his teammate Leon Draisaitl’s $ 14 million-a-year deal, which was previously the highest-paid contract by annual average value.
That distinction now belongs to the face of the Minnesota Wild franchise, Kirill Kaprizov, who signed an eight-year, $136 million deal, which comes out to a cool $17 million per year.
But back to McDavid.
His Oilers extension raised more than a few eyebrows. While most insiders expected McDavid to give his beloved franchise a hometown discount, nobody expected it to amount to $12 million a year. Most analysts pencilled McDavid in for a $16M a year contract that would trump Draisaitl’s deal but still give the Oilers some room to maneuver come Thanksgiving.
THE CAPTAIN 🫡
The #Oilers have signed forward Connor McDavid to a two-year contract extension with an AAV of $12.5 million! pic.twitter.com/UYpGe4NKkx
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) October 6, 2025
Instead, McDavid chose to give the Oilers a lot of room to breathe. However, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows after all.
The two-year extension gives McDavid just enough time to ensure the Oilers do their bit to remain ultra-competitive in that elusive chase for his first Stanley Cup win. After falling short two years on the bounce, McDavid has since made it clear that the only thing on his mind is to get that trophy in his cabinet.
McDavid’s extension also raises a minor headache for a few other stars who are up for extensions. While McDavid has seemingly taken the Sidney Crosby path to Stanley Cup contention, other NHL teams could make the argument that few players deserve a mammoth payday, given the fact that McDavid took a deal that pays him just $12.5 million a year.
McDavid has also set himself up to take full advantage of a salary cap that’s expected to balloon past the purported $104 million figure. NHL insider Elliotte Friedman believes that number could swell to $107 million as early as next year, which means McDavid will have all the leverage when (or if) he decides to re-up in Edmonton once again.
Buried under all the talk around McDavid’s contract extension was also the key piece of news about the Oilers locking defenceman Jake Walman down to a long-term contract. Walman’s new deal is worth $49 million at an average annual value of $7 million over seven years.
For now, with the distraction of the extension behind them, the Oilers will focus on their season opener against the Calgary Flames on Wednesday, Oct. 8.
