Just three days after Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price signed an extension that tied him with Chicago Blackhawks duo Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane for the league's highest annual average value, 20-year-old Connor McDavid outdid them all Wednesday.
The Edmonton Oilers locked up the forward's services with an extension that carries an AAV of $12.5 million for eight years. While that's a big leap from the $10.5 million that previously topped the NHL, here are three strong candidates to challenge McDavid's record extension by this time next year.
Potential challengers will of course need to combat potential changes to the NHL's salary cap, which is currently set at a ceiling of $75 million for the 2017-18 season.
Jack Eichel, Sabres
(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)
Current contract: 3 years, $925,000 AAV (ELC)
His case: No. 2 overall pick in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, second to McDavid. Compiled 113 points over 142 games but boosted his point-per-game pace to 0.934 in 2016-17, good for 14th among qualified skaters.
While McDavid has Leon Draisaitl to help him out, he also has to share the Oilers' available cap space with his co-star. The Buffalo Sabres' current highest-paid player is Ryan O'Reilly, who's secured at a cap hit of $7.5 million through the end of the 2022-23 season. The third-highest-paid player is forward Kyle Okposo, who is earning $6 million per season.
Eichel's camp will make the case that he is more valuable to the Sabres than McDavid is to the Oilers, since there's an even greater drop-off between Eichel and the Sabres' No. 2 and No. 3 stars.
The Sabres already demonstrated a willingness to axe an experienced head coach and general manager to keep Eichel content. Face-of-the-franchise stars don't come around often, and the Sabres had to wait a long time to find one like Eichel. They won't be keen to search for another one when his three-year entry-level contract is up.
Expected contract: 8 years, $13 million AAV
Erik Karlsson, Senators
(Photo courtesy: Action Images)
Current contract: 6 years, $6.5 million AAV
His case: Two-time Norris Trophy winner and runner-up for the award in each of the past two seasons. Averaged 0.820 points per game over 556 career regular-season games and collected 37 points in 48 career playoff games. Led the Ottawa Senators in points in each of the past four seasons.
The entire NHL became aware of Karlsson's excellent defensive play during the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs. His play without the puck improved under new head coach Guy Boucher in 2016-17, as he ranked second in the league in blocked shots.
Karlsson has two years remaining on his current contract at a $6.5 million cap hit - a tremendous bargain - and he'll be just 29 years old when it ends. The Senators have just one defenseman, one goalie, and four forwards signed for the 2019-20 season. Expect Karlsson to be signed to his impending mega-extension so the team can fill out the rest of the roster around its commitment to the captain.
The Senators may also be motivated to pay Karlsson back for taking a discount on his previous deal. They didn't do that for his mentor, longtime captain Daniel Alfredsson - and it's a mistake they likely don't want to repeat.
Expected contract: 8 years, $15 million AAV
Auston Matthews, Maple Leafs
(Photo courtesy: Action Images)
Current contract: 3 years, $925,000 AAV (ELC)
His case: First overall pick in 2016 NHL Entry Draft. Scored 40 goals and helped the Toronto Maple Leafs make the playoffs in his first season in the league.
Selecting Matthews with the first overall pick signaled the next and most important step in what was expected to be a continued rebuild for the Maple Leafs. After he led them to a surprising playoff berth - and a surprisingly hard-fought series against the Washington Capitals - the Maple Leafs sped up their rebuild by signing 37-year-old Patrick Marleau to a three-year, $18.75-million contract. The early play of Matthews has hockey fans in Toronto clamoring for Stanley Cup contention as early as next season.
The biggest hindrance to Matthews' impending payday (likely to arrive next summer) is the fact he shares the limelight and credit with fellow sophomore-to-be Mitch Marner, while William Nylander needs a new contract after the 2017-18 season. Nylander's extension will set an early guideline for what Matthews could command, though the latter outproduced his senior teammate by 18 goals and eight points this past season.
The Leafs have just one goalie, two defensemen, and five forwards signed beyond the end of Matthews' entry-level deal. Matthews may have to defer some of what he's worth for Toronto to keep its promising young core together, meaning he'll probably fall just short of McDavid's mark.
Expected contract: 8 years, $11.5 million AAV
The current collective bargaining agreement runs through the 2021-22 NHL season, though both the league and NHLPA can opt out after the 2019-20 season.
McDavid's record deal and some of the provisions within - such as his $86-million signing bonus - have fans and experts speculating CBA changes may be inevitable.
Count Eichel, Karlsson, and Matthews among those likely to vote against any potential lockout.
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