The highly anticipated eight-year contract extension for Connor McDavid has officially been signed and announced by the Edmonton Oilers. The franchise’s top player is locked and loaded and, barring a trade, will be an Oiler for at least the next nine seasons.
The deal will start on July 1st, 2018, and run for eight seasons at $12.5 million per.
No matter where you stand on some of the other moves that have happened this off-season, I think all Oiler fans can agree that this is a great day for the organization. Arguably the best player in the world is an Edmonton Oiler and he isn’t going anywhere, let that sink in for a few minutes.
As I’ve said in my many previous pieces regarding the McDavid contract, this is a huge moment for the Oilers as an organization. They have cemented their relevance in the NHL and with McDavid they should be competing in the playoffs and for the Stanley Cup each and every season. Edmonton is an NHL destination and that won’t change for almost an entire decade thanks to this move today.
There has been and will continue to be a lot of griping about the contract and how much cap space McDavid is taking up. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Connor McDavid is worth every penny. This is, in my opinion, the best player in the NHL and the man that has helped Edmonton regain relevance and become competitive again. The Oilers are going to be fighting for the Stanley Cup in next spring’s playoffs and McDavid is going to be the main reason.
Sure, $12.5 million per season is a lot of money, but the Oilers bought some UFA years here and were able to get McDavid on the max term. As Lowetide pointed out last night here, this contract is comparable to Sidney Crosby’s deal and is in line with paying the best in the game.
There is going to be increased pressure on Peter Chiarelli to make astute moves and find value contracts, in fact the future of the Oilers will depend on it. It’s going to be tougher to build a winner around a massive cap hit, but as I’ve mentioned before the player is well worth it and building a winner is NOT impossible. The management team will need to be smart and creative, but this doesn’t close Edmonton’s window one bit.
Concerns aside, the Oilers have Connor McDavid locked up for the next nine seasons including the upcoming final year of his ELC. That’s reason for Oilers fans to celebrate. As long as McDavid is here the club’s window to win is open, and he isn’t going anywhere any time soon.
One of the summer’s biggest tasks is now completed.
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