Connor McDavid is the $100-million man.
The Edmonton Oilers captain put pen to paper on an eight-year extension with the club Wednesday on a deal set to kick in for the 2018-19 season.
The new contract will see McDavid soon lay claim to the NHL's highest salary cap hit, a title currently held by Chicago's Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, and, most recently, Montreal netminder Carey Price, all of whom carry a $10.5-million AAV.
News of McDavid's new mega deal, and its potential impacts, wasn't lost on social media:
8 years/$100m?? Connor McDavid definitely won't have to check his bank account before getting guac at chipotle now.
— Kyle (@kyle_hair) July 5, 2017
And the #McDeal™ is done! #Oilers #McDavid #9years
— Isosceles Kramer (@allsystemsjo) July 5, 2017
That's a lot of Oil. #McDavid #100million
— Sam McCaig (@SamMcCaig22) July 5, 2017
The fact that McDavid's extension came in a shade lower than the previously reported $13.25-million figure was also picked up on by puckheads:
absolutely it's connor mcdavid, and not kris russell, who should take less to make his team competitive.
— 🦉 your friend rl 🦆 (@twolinepass) July 5, 2017
Reminder that the Lucic/Russell contracts are going to be a lot more problematic for the Oilers than the McDavid/Draisaitl ones will be
— Ambient Oncoming Cat (@tcopain) July 5, 2017
The question is now how the deal will impact players around the league, particularly McDavid's teammate Leon Draisaitl:
The $750k/per that McDavid left on the table ought to bring Draisaitl to a nice, round $10mil/year figure.
— Cam (@CarlPeelash) July 5, 2017
No doubt McDavid's extension will also come up when the Buffalo Sabres sit down with Jack Eichel, who was drafted second to McDavid in 2015:
A little less than rumored. Eichel will certainly come in around $10M for #Sabres. https://t.co/H6RKcHBhsP
— Mike Harrington (@ByMHarrington) July 5, 2017
McDavid wrapped his second season with the Oilers with 100 points in 82 games, a campaign which saw him take home the Art Ross Trophy, the Hart Trophy, and the Ted Lindsay Award.
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