Connor McDavid Will Get Whatever He Wants From the Edmonton Oilers
Elliotte Friedman joined Evanka Osmak on Sportsnet’s Sports Central to discuss the Leon Draisaitl extension with the Edmonton Oilers and was asked if this will affect the next contract for Connor McDavid.
NHLRumors.com Transcription
NHL Rumors: Leon Draisait’s Done, Connor McDavid Will be up Next Offseason
Evanka Osmak: “Friedge, you brought up Connor McDavid’s name, so let’s talk about McDavid. Two years remaining on his contract. He can sign an extension next summer. Does this affect his number?”
Elliotte Friedman: “No, I don’t think it does. Overall, in the sense that, look, the story I always heard about Connor McDavid’s last negotiation, Jeff Jackson is now the President of the Oilers, he was the agent at the time, and, you know, one of the things they said was, the maximum any player can be paid at the cap is 20% and at the time, they said, we’re not going to ask for 20% and the Oilers are like, ‘Oh, Thank God.’
And because if he would have asked for 20% they would have paid it. But McDavid wasn’t interested in that. You know, I think that his number will be higher. He deserves to be the highest-paid player in the League. He’s the best-paid player in the league, and we’ll see how it plays out. But I would expect the conversation to be somewhat similar.
Leon Draisaitl New Contract Shows A Commitment to Edmonton and Winning
If McDavid asks for 20% the Oilers will have choice but to pay it. But he wants to win, and that’s the thing about this. You know, people can argue about where players want to play. Whether it’s the weather, whether it was the taxes, whether it’s the intensity or the pressure, the bottom line is they want to be in a situation where they believe they can win.
Draisaitl said the Oilers are all about winning. They got so close this year, that’s where players want to play. And I believe that because the Oilers are there. McDavid will want to stay. And the other thing I really believe is, I’ve always believed this was a negotiation, not only about Draisatil but also about McDavid.
You know, Draisatil will play very coy today was not going to speak for McDavid, but I think he has. They’re so tight. He knows how McDavid’s thinking. And as long as these guys think they can win, they’re going to be very happy in Edmonton.”