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Connor McDavid may change his mind on contract terms, says insider
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How much does a team pay the best player in the world; one that gives his club the best chance of winning the Stanley Cup over the next few years?
This is the question the Edmonton Oilers are asking themselves, probably at this very moment, the answer to which will be negotiated once they actually sit down with Connor McDavid's team, sometime between now and July 1st, 2026, when the Oilers' captain becomes a free agent, a scenario the Oilers will attempt to avoid at all costs
Yet, one NHL analyst commented on what he believes McDavid's next contract terms will be.
"My guess is it's not going to be 8-years," Frank Seravalli said in a recent video he posted on social media. "Probably 4, and somewhere between $16M and $17M in AAV."
This would make Connor McDavid the NHL's highest paid player, a status he quite deserves. Connor's current AAV is $12.5M, and is in year 8 of an 8 year term, which expires July 1st, 2026.
"Not even really confident completely saying it's going to be a 4 year deal," Seravalli added. "I still think it makes sense to get 8 and just be done with it. If you're Connor McDavid, the last thing you want is to go through this again."
That Seravalli is uncertain about what Connor McDavid will do, is an indication of the young superstar's silence on the matter, which only leads to more speculation.
Some analysts, for example, believe Connor will take a hometown discount, so as to leave cap space for the Oilers to address some of its other roster needs. And that McDavid will not sign for the maximum 8 years allowed by the NHL, so as to capitalize on a higher dollar value down the road. Again, this is only speculation.
"He has so much leverage and control," Frank Seravalli says in the video. "That if he decides after 4 years, or 3 years, whatever, that the Edmonton Oilers can't get it done, that he's not gonna have a chance to win there, will the best player in the world just raise his hands and say, 'I want out', and they're [Edmonton] gonna have no choice but to make it happen."
There is no question as to who has all the negotiating power, as McDavid has shown year after year, that he is the NHL's gold standard - all 32 teams would likely make room for him, if he were available.
But it's the Oilers that have him now, and the team that will likely sign McDavid to a contract that works for both parties involved. Connor has played his entire career in Edmonton, and will most likely retire an Oiler.
| POLL | ||
JUILLET 30 | 425 ANSWERS Connor McDavid may change his mind on contract terms, says insider Do you see a scenario where Connor McDavid does not retire an Oiler? | ||
| yes | 218 | 51.3 % |
| no | 207 | 48.7 % |
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