Connor McDavid's Next Contract Might Be Cheaper Than Anyone Expected
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According to NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman on his latest 32 Thoughts podcast, the next contract for Connor McDavid may surprise some and could end up being cheaper.
With all the talk this past summer about Connor McDavid and whether or not he is going to sign an extension with the Edmonton Oilers or end up testing free agency and potentially find himself with a crazy payday.
While he doesn't exactly sound committed to staying with Edmonton, he's certainly cemented his life there and to pick it up and move everything is a lot easier said than done, but for the world's greatest player he can do whatever he chooses.
One glaring question is what it'll cost at the end of the day and with Kirill Kaprizov rejecting the largest deal in NHL history, one can only imagine the price that McDavid is going to command.
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According to NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman however, that may not necessarily be the case.
Speaking on his latest episode of the 32 Thoughts podcast, the noted insider reported that while McDavid is certainly going to get paid, there is a high potential that it comes in much cheaper than we first anticipated:
If McDavid signs in Edmonton, if he does, it's going to be for a lower number than we all expect, I think it's going to surprise people where it could end up.
We've certainly seen loyal players taking contract hits in order to stay with the team for a chance to win as we have John Tavares, Brad Marchand, Sam Bennett, and even guys like Sidney Crosby earning less money.
What This Means For 2026 Free Agency
With McDavid undoubtedly the biggest fish in the free agent pond come 2026, the fact that he could end up signing for less than he would get on the market to stay is going to set a precedent for other pending free agent superstars.
Jack Eichel needs a contract and is in a very good spot in Vegas, he could end up taking a few million less per year to win; especially with Mitch Marner now in town.
Kyle Connor is also a name who doesn't necessarily get a ton of attention but will command a lot of money come July, but with reports he wants to stay in Winnipeg; a cheap McDavid deal could mean a cheap Connor deal too (of the Kyle variety).
We could see something very similar to this past offseason where teams with free agents end up just bringing back their stars and leaving others to work out moves via the trade market.
So while there is absolutely no question that Connor McDavid deserves to be the highest paid player in the league, the fact he might not be could set off a domino effect that changes the landscape of the NHL.
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