When Connor McDavid was first coming to the NHL, all anyone could speak of was the massive impact he would have on the sport. In fact, there was extensive media coverage of his arrival, with many pundits and analysts detailing how he would change hockey betting lines.
And indeed, this so-called ‘once in a generation’ talent has delivered, at least on the hype. Many professionals in the sport described him as the best prospect the NHL had seen in three decades, with some people going so far as to compare him to the likes of Mario Lemieux.
Center Connor McDavid (#97) – file photo by Lewis Bleiman
Whether or not you believe that Connor has actually delivered, no can deny the fact that the excitement surrounding his presence has only continued to skyrocket; and the situation in the NHL is such that Connor could soon sign the most lucrative contract in the league.
The fact that Connor is already looking to negotiate his second contract is impressive considering the fact that he hasn’t spent that much time in the NHL. Players Connor’s age and who have spent so little time in the NHL would, at this point, be working towards cementing their position and advancing their placement in their respective teams.
However, it could be argued that Connor came into the NHL with such momentum that no one could have expected him to contend with the same problems that face the average hockey player his age.
With only 82 games under his belt in the NHL, the Edmonton Oilers are already buzzing about starting negotiations with Connor over his next contract; and it is worth noting that neither party can even initiate negotiations just yet.
The window to negotiate will not open until July 2017; that is eight whole months away, and it says something about Edmonton that they are already looking so far into the future to secure Connor’s place on the team.
Peter Chiarelli has, more or less, admitted that Edmonton was having internal talks about the issue; Connor’s agents, Bobby Orr and Jeff Jackson, also showed a willingness to begin speculating about Connor’s future and the prospect of scoring an even grander second contact for the superstar.
No numbers have been exchanged between the two sides; however, it is generally expected that the oilers’ negotiations with Connor will precede decisions that will affect Edmonton for the next ten years or so; if they can lock Connor in on an eight-year deal, they stand to benefit greatly, though, there is no telling which direction Connor will lean.
He stands to make quite a lot of money from the second contract, but the decisions he makes could be driven by his ambition rather than the financial aspects.
Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane presently share the largest cap hit ($10 million). Most pundits believe that Connor is being set up to become the NHL’s highest-paid player.
Of course, so much can happen in the 70 games left this season; Connor’s fortunes could either continue to rise or fall as the season progresses. Whether you like him or not, Connor is definitely having the impact on the NHL everyone expected.
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