Connor McDavid’s bargain extension is about one thing — winning in Edmonton.
The Oilers superstar spoke out Wednesday about the new two-year, $25 million contract he signed with the team that drafted him a decade ago.
“I said I was committed to winning here, and I meant that,” McDavid said, via The Athletic. “Two years makes a lot of sense. It gives us a chance to continue chasing down what we’ve been chasing down with the core guys that have been here.”
Entering the final year of his previous deal, McDavid opted to keep the same average annual value he’s been making since his eight-year, $100 million contract kicked in before the 2018-19 season rather than seek a well-deserved raise.
The short-term extension gives McDavid and the Oilers a couple of years to get the superstar’s elusive first Stanley Cup.
“It’s a unique situation. We weren’t going to sign a long-term deal,” McDavid said. “Two years at that number makes a lot of sense. It gives us a chance to extend our window here in Edmonton. Lenny’s (McDavid’s dog) not going to go hungry with that money. We’ll be fine.”
The Oilers have yet to win a title during the McDavid era despite making the postseason in each of the past six years and seven out of 10 seasons with the superstar in tow.
In each of the past two seasons, they’ve fallen to the Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final.
“There’s no secret that for a team that pushes for it every year like we have for the last four or five years — we’ve given up first-round picks and prospects — there aren’t a ton of young guys,” McDavid said. “Two years gives us a chance to play this out. It gives us every opportunity to build something here.”
The deal falls short of the record $17 million average annual value deal that Wild star Kirill Kaprizov signed in late September.
McDavid will also make less than teammate Leon Draisaitl, who is making $14 million a year, which was the record before Kaprizov’s deal.
McDavid, 28, could still sign a massive contract in two years with several prime seasons left to go in his Hall of Fame career and the NHL salary cap set to rise.