When he's not generating some of the best and most awkward photo memes on the internet, Connor McDavid is generating serious scoring chances for his Edmonton Oilers. The 20-year-old phenom is already producing at a historic clip and now the sophomore superstar has the hardware to back it all up.
Last week, the Richmond Hill native took home the Art Ross, Ted Lindsay, and Hart Trophy and cemented his status as one of the league's best players. This impressive haul of goods was topped off with the announcement that McDavid will also grace the cover of NHL 18, the upcoming edition of EA's popular video game franchise.
All things considered, it makes total sense that the star centre is looking to be paid rather handsomely. Now, and according to multiple hockey insiders including Sportsnet's own Elliot Friedman, Connor McDavid has an offer on the table somewhere in the range of $13 million per season.
If he puts pen to paper, this deal would make the Oilers captain the highest-paid player in the league. Of course, the Oilers should have little to no reservations when it comes to this contract, given that McDavid is a generational talent and the NHL's salary cap will likely continue to increase incrementally over the next few years.
McDavid's projected contract would net the player more than $100 million dollars over the next eight years, and would end right at the prime of his career. Barring some sort of miracle, it's tough to imagine a hockey force competing with McDavid's level of talent within that span of time, which would make this hefty deal a no-brainer.
The NHL's current roster of highest-paid skaters includes Blackhawks stars Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, Washington forward Alex Ovechkin, and of course, Pittsburgh Penguin captain, Sidney Crosby. It's a good group of players to be lumped into considering all four of them were recently named to the NHL Greatest 100 list and are locks to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Connor McDavid's current entry level contract is up at the end of next season, and he won't be able to officially sign an extension until July 1st. It should also be noted that this pending and mammoth deal will eventually kick in at the start of the 2018-2019 season.
This means that the Edmonton Oilers have one more year before they're forced to play around with their allotted cap space. Should everything commence as planned, McDavid will be making roughly 17 percent of the team's entire salary. Regardless, it's a price worth paying when you can get shifts like the one below.
