Auston Matthews and Connor McDavid Set to Hit Free Agency the Same Year
Photo credit: Hockey Patrol
Connor McDavid's new contract stunned the hockey world on Monday, but further investigation reveals perhaps there's an underlying reason why he signed short-term.
Monday afternoon decided to drop a bombshell on the NHL with the news that Connor McDavid had signed a two-year, $25-million deal to stay in Edmonton and put an end to a story that has dominated the headlines this past offseason.
It's an unfortunate turn of events for fans who were hoping for a potential free agent signing, and they'll need to wait a little bit to see if McDavid is going to test the market again.
The biggest team who is feeling the sting is the Toronto Maple Leafs, who were holding out that perhaps McDavid would have a change of heart and sign with his childhood club.
Why 2028 Could Change the NHL Forever
A duo of him and Auston Matthews would be downright insane, but the chances that both of them would be available for Toronto to have are slim to none right?
Well, taking a look at their contract situations and similarities, perhaps there was a method to the madness.
Further inspection shows that McDavid and Matthews will both be free agents in 2028, making that free agent class already as star-studded as possible.
The two also share the same agent in Judd Moldaver, so while we aren't going to say there's any clear tampering or influence on the part of Matthews, it is interesting that McDavid chose to be a free agent at the same time.
Questions arose when it was revealed that McDavid had signed for only $12.5-million a season; a number that is staggeringly low for a player of his caliber.
Matthews himself believed that McDavid's price was a true sign of loyalty and his commitment to winning, at least for now:
I think for him, it's all about winning.
But perhaps it was a message to Edmonton that if they don't figure things out in that two year span, he's going to be headed out of town and signing elsewhere.
Could Matthews or McDavid Actually Leave Canada?
But what if they both decide to leave town? There's nothing to say that Matthews is going to stick around, and two years can make a big difference.
There are teams who are going to have a ton of cap space, with some enticing young players, and might just be a superstar or two away from creating a dynasty.
Now, for fans it's a nightmare scenario, but unless these two players are going to swap teams, or join up in Toronto/Edmonton; that's likely the only way they stay in Canada.
Montreal, Ottawa, Calgary, Vancouver, and Winnipeg are all great hockey towns no doubt, but are at various levels of competing, and while they may have some money to spend, it's highly unlikely McDavid or Matthews sign there.
Which leaves them headed for the United States. While we can't expect a team like Florida to make a play, we can see teams like Vegas, Colorado, Dallas, Los Angeles, New Jersey, Carolina, and Tampa Bay as potential destinations.
That automatically shifts the landscape of the NHL, as not only does it give another team one of two generational talents, but make Canada's quest for a Stanley Cup just that much harder.
Connor McDavid stunned the hockey world when he signed his contract on Monday, and in two years time is poised to shock it once again by joining forces with Auston Matthews; but where that ends up being is a mystery.
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