$106 McMillion?
Eight-year deal for Hart winner McDavid would raise salary bar
Connor McDavid just took home his first NHL most valuable player award, and now he’s on the verge of becoming the league’s highest-paid player.
The 20-year-old is nearing an extension with the Edmonton Oilers, reportedly worth $106 million (all dollars U.S.) over eight years. The deal, which can’t be signed until July 1 and won’t kick in until the 2018-19 season, would give McDavid the highest yearly cap hit in the league at $13.25 million.
“We are still working on it,” Jeff Jackson, McDavid’s agent, told The Canadian Press in an email on Wednesday afternoon. Jackson declined comment on the terms of the deal, first reported by Sportsnet.
McDavid’s production suggests he’s earned the distinction of highest-paid player.
The Newmarket, Ont., native led the NHL in scoring in only his second NHL season — the lone player with 100 points. He’s one of only five players in the last 20 years to tally 30 goals and 70 assists in the same season, an esteemed group that also includes Sidney Crosby, Mario Lemieux, Evgeni Malkin and Jaromir Jagr.
In addition to the Hart Trophy as league MVP, McDavid was also awarded the Ted Lindsay Award as the top player as voted by his peers, and the Art Ross as the league’s leading scorer.
Chicago Blackhawks teammates Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane share the highest current annual salary-cap hit at $10.5 million apiece.
The Oilers will also be looking at a new contract this summer for 21-year-old restricted free-agent Leon Draisaitl, one that would kick in this fall. The combination of those looming deals was a factor in the recent trading of Jordan Eberle to the New York Islanders and means the Oilers will require plenty of cap manoeuvring in the years to come.
McDavid alone would eat up 17.7 per cent of the cap in 2018, assuming it stays flat at $75 million.