Oilers Insider Projects Insane AAV For Connor McDavid’s Next Contract

Now that Leon Draisaitl is locked up to an eight-year deal, the next huge order of business, next summer, will be to lock up Connor McDavid and Evan Bouchard.

And make no mistake, the Draisaitl signing is a sure-fire indicator that McDavid will be staying as well.

“There is no way that Leon is signing if there is a chance that Connor is not,” hockey insider Frank Seravalli said.

And while Draisaitl will go into the 2025-26 season as the highest-paid player in the league at $14 million annually, McDavid's next deal will, of course, blow that away, smashing all previous records by a wide margin, according to Oilers insider Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal.

The most a player can make is 20 percent of the overall team cap, but if it’s $100 million by the time 97’s contract kicks in, then he should be $20 million.

A $20 million AAV? Given the level of play that McJesus, the greatest player in the world, has already established, he just might be worth that kind of insane money.

"I don’t know what the cap will be (when McDavid's extension kicks in), but you give Connor what he wants. If he wants 20 percent you give it to him," said former Oilers GM (and players) Craig MacTavish. "You hope he takes a bit of a discount but I still believe the star players in the NHL are underpaid relative to the rest of the (team) sports.”

Evan Bouchard will also be due an extension, as he'll be a restricted free agent next summer. His number will likely start with a 10, as in $10 million AAV.

Can the Oilers make all that work under the cap?

“The cap will hopefully continue to go up to give the Oilers a bit of flexibility to build a team around them," said MacTavish.

“I look at it as a good problem to have. When you have players of that quality it’s hard to call it a problem.”