Connor McDavid's salary expectation will change after new NHL salary cap projections
The NHL has released a new round of salary cap projections for the next three seasons, which may significantly increase the value of Connor McDavid's next contract with the Edmonton Oilers.
Elliotte Friedman reported yesterday that the salary cap is expected to increase by $7.5M before next season to $95.5M, and the season after, will go to $104M when McDavid's next contract begins.
Connor McDavid's next contract expected to come between 16-17% of rising salary cap
The maximum annual salary for an NHL contract is 20% of the cap, which would be $20.8M. McDavid isn't expected to ask for that much, but Sportsnet's most recent predictions have McDavid commanding 16-17% of the salary cap.
This would put McDavid's next annual contract value between $16.64M and $17.68M.
- Sportsnet
McDavid's current contract value of $12.5M took up 15.72% of the cap when he signed the deal, and since then he's solidified himself as the best player in the NHL and will surely be an all-time great when his career is over. He deserves a significant raise from his current value.
In reality, McDavid could command the max value contract as the league's best player. The question will be how much he pushes up his salary from the current percentage.
Connor McDavid has hinted towards taking another discount with Edmonton Oilers
Earlier this season in a rare interview about his contract status, McDavid said he wasn't interest much in financials and was more interested in a winning environment and his family. That clearly hints towards staying in Edmonton, and maybe not taking the maximum salary available.
"I feel like I set the market a long time ago. That held for a long time. The cap was pretty stagnant there for a while My priority is to win. My priority is to take care of my family. Those are the two things that I worry about."
- Connor McDavid
The absolute minimum for McDavid's next contract should be $16.64M, anything less would be a significant discount. If he does ask for more though, he's simply demanding fair pay for his talents - he'll still be worth every penny.
McDavid will be eligible to re-sign with the Edmonton Oilers beginning July 1st, 2025. Hopefully, the Oilers can line up a contract to be signed that same day.
