Connor McDavid was unwavering in his commitment to stay with the Edmonton Oilers for the long haul.

That was the message delivered by general manager Peter Chiarelli upon announcing the eight-year, $100-million contract extension signed by the NHL's reigning MVP and high-scorer, a deal that will keep him in Edmonton for the next nine seasons.

At the same time, however, it's clear McDavid didn't push for the maximum possible value on the deal, allowing Chiarelli a better chance to build a winning team around the superstar captain.

"I compare this magnitude of contract to a partnership," Chiarelli said at a press conference Wednesday. "In order for a partnership to work, both sides have to benefit. They have to share in the success together. Conversely, they have to share in the challenges together also.

"This may be one of the largest contracts ever given in the NHL, but I assure you, it easily could have been a lot higher in value and shorter in term. Building a team to win the Stanley Cup was a constant discussion point in this negotiation."

In an ensuing interview with Sportsnet's Gene Principe, McDavid stopped short of saying he left money on the table, but he did echo Chiarelli's desire to win.

"It's hard to say you can make more than $100 million, that's a lot of money. Ultimately, you want to have a good team, you want to be competitive, and you want to make sure that there is a little bit of wiggle room.

"Could there have been a chance to take ... whatever, it doesn't matter how we got here. It's important that we have a good team and I think we'll be able to do that."

Theoretically, McDavid could have commanded $15 million per season on his new deal, as the maximum allowable salary cap hit is 20% of the ceiling, currently set at $75 million. A report on June 28 suggested McDavid was set to sign an eight-year deal in the ballpark of $13.25 million per season, meaning his actual contract came in at $750,000 under that number on an annual basis.

In the end, it's a deal both sides are happy with, and even more so if a Cup or two is won over the next nine years.

Next up on Chiarelli's to-do list is a contract extension for restricted free agent Leon Draisaitl, which also won't come cheap.

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The Montreal Canadiens signed Carey Price to an eight-year contract extension that will begin in 2018-19 and run through to the end of 2025-26, the club announced Sunday.

The value of the new contract was not immediately disclosed, but is reported to be worth $10.5 million per season, according to TSN's Darren Dreger. Additionally, $70 million of that total comes in the form of signing bonuses, per Pierre LeBrun of TSN.

The next highest-paid goalie is New York's Henrik Lundqvist, who signed a seven-year, $59.5-million extension with the Rangers in 2013.

The $10.5 million cap hit will also put him on par with Chicago duo Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane for highest among all players, pending the signing of Connor McDavid in Edmonton.

The 29-year-old is coming off his tenth season with the club. In that time, he's posted a career regular-season record of 270-175-55 with a .920 save percentage and has won the Hart, Vezina, and Ted Lindsay trophies.

Price also won gold for Canada at the 2014 Winter Olympics and the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.

Clearly the current face of the most storied franchise in hockey history, this new deal ensures Price will spend the majority of his career - if not all of it - playing for the team that drafted him fifth overall in 2005.

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The New York Rangers appear to have landed the big fish.

Defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk is expected to sign a four-year contract with the club worth $26.6 million, according to TSN's Frank Seravalli. This will give the Blueshirts arguably the best available free agent on the market this summer on a annual cap hit of $6.65 million..

The 28-year-old recorded 13 goals and 43 assists in 80 games split between St. Louis and Washington last season.

Shattenkirk becomes the Rangers highest-paid defenseman and second-highest paid player behind only Rick Nash, and fills a hole left on the blue line following the buyout of Dan Girardi.

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Let the frenzy begin.

As the calendar turns to July, hundreds of free agents will be in search of new deals, while the NHL's 31 general managers will spend their bosses' money, be it out of want or necessity.

It's time, then, to pull out our crystal ball and see what will happen in free agency beginning July 1.

Devil of a deal for Shattenkirk

The New Jersey Devils have a star winger in Taylor Hall, an elite goalie in Cory Schneider, and blue-chip prospects down the middle in Nico Hischier and Pavel Zacha. They also have a boatload of salary cap space and glaring holes on the blue line.

Enter Kevin Shattenkirk, arguably the biggest name in free agency this summer.

There will be plenty of suitors, but general manager Ray Shero can outbid them all and offer Shattenkirk the opportunity to play close to his New York-area hometown.

Only defensemen Andy Greene and Ben Lovejoy are signed past 2017-18, and Shattenkirk would be a nice and necessary building block on the blue line to complement talent elsewhere on the roster.

Radulov is 'one and done' in Montreal

Alexander Radulov returned to the NHL by way of the Montreal Canadiens, but priced himself out of "La Belle Province" by fitting in so well.

Out of the league since 2012 following a brief and failed return to Nashville, Radulov left the KHL and signed a one-year deal with the Canadiens last summer. He went on to record 18 goals and 36 assists in 76 regular-season games, with an additional two goals and five assists in six playoff appearances.

Now, Montreal won't be able to afford to keep him.

Potential landing spots could include Vegas, Columbus, or San Jose.

Girardi will have options, sign multi-year deal

Former New York Rangers defenseman Dan Girardi won't have to wait long for a new job, and he'll get some security to go with a new deal.

On Tuesday, The Athletic's Craig Custance reported several teams had recahed out to former New York Rangers defenseman Dan Girardi, suggeting there will be a good market for his services in free agency.

This despite barely registering as a third-pair defenseman at this point in his career.

(Courtesy: Own The Puck)

Girardi, whose contract was bought out by the Rangers, will earn $1.11 million from the Blueshirts through to the end of 2022-23. Look for him to concurrently cash another hefty paycheck over the next three-to-five seasons, likely from the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Thornton and Marleau team up elsewhere

Back in 2003, Teemu Selanne and Paul Kariya - both of whom were recently elected into the Hockey Hall of Fame - left the Anaheim Ducks and decided to sign tandem deals with the Colorado Avalanche in pursuit of a Stanley Cup.

Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau find themselves in an eerily similar situation and there's a real possibility their long tenures with the San Jose Sharks have come to an end, leaving them to seek glory elsewhere around the NHL.

Drafted first and second overall respectively in 1997, Thornton and Marleau have become quite a duo both on and off the ice, and no doubt relish the opportunity to win together after failing to do so in San Jose.

The Dallas Stars have put themselves in position to win now and would be a great landing spot, but don't rule out the Toronto Maple Leafs, Los Angeles Kings, Nashville Predators, or even the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Long summer ahead for many

It's happening every year with increased regularity: following the initial rush of signings, several players are forced to wait things out until deep into the summer or even right up until training camp to find a new hockey home.

This year will be no exception, even with the advent of a 31st franchise to fill out. The salary cap didn't increase all that much and teams are relying more and more on cheaper, younger talent.

Once the dust has settled and teams have a better handle on their respective situations, look for an onslaught of short-term, low-value deals and training camp tryouts.

As an offshoot, Jarome Iginla and Shane Doan, for example, will be left with plenty of time to think about their futures.

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)

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Let the frenzy begin.

As the calendar turns to July, hundreds of free agents will be in search of new deals, while the NHL's 31 general managers will spend their bosses' money, be it out of want or necessity.

It's time, then, to pull out our crystal ball and see what will happen in free agency beginning July 1.

Devil of a deal for Shattenkirk

The New Jersey Devils have a star winger in Taylor Hall, an elite goalie in Cory Schneider, and blue-chip prospects down the middle in Nico Hischier and Pavel Zacha. They also have a boatload of salary cap space and glaring holes on the blue line.

Enter Kevin Shattenkirk, arguably the biggest name in free agency this summer.

There will be plenty of suitors, but general manager Ray Shero can outbid them all and offer Shattenkirk the opportunity to play close to his New York-area hometown.

Only defensemen Andy Greene and Ben Lovejoy are signed past 2017-18, and Shattenkirk would be a nice and necessary building block on the blue line to complement talent elsewhere on the roster.

Radulov is 'one and done' in Montreal

Alexander Radulov returned to the NHL by way of the Montreal Canadiens, but priced himself out of "La Belle Province" by fitting in so well.

Out of the league since 2012 following a brief and failed return to Nashville, Radulov left the KHL and signed a one-year deal with the Canadiens last summer. He went on to record 18 goals and 36 assists in 76 regular-season games, with an additional two goals and five assists in six playoff appearances.

Now, Montreal won't be able to afford to keep him.

Potential landing spots could include Vegas, Columbus, or San Jose.

Girardi will have options, sign multi-year deal

Former New York Rangers defenseman Dan Girardi won't have to wait long for a new job, and he'll get some security to go with a new deal.

On Tuesday, The Athletic's Craig Custance reported several teams had recahed out to former New York Rangers defenseman Dan Girardi, suggeting there will be a good market for his services in free agency.

This despite barely registering as a third-pair defenseman at this point in his career.

(Courtesy: Own The Puck)

Girardi, whose contract was bought out by the Rangers, will earn $1.11 million from the Blueshirts through to the end of 2022-23. Look for him to concurrently cash another hefty paycheck over the next three-to-five seasons, likely from the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Thornton and Marleau team up elsewhere

Back in 2003, Teemu Selanne and Paul Kariya - both of whom were recently elected into the Hockey Hall of Fame - left the Anaheim Ducks and decided to sign tandem deals with the Colorado Avalanche in pursuit of a Stanley Cup.

Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau find themselves in an eerily similar situation and there's a real possibility their long tenures with the San Jose Sharks have come to an end, leaving them to seek glory elsewhere around the NHL.

Drafted first and second overall respectively in 1997, Thornton and Marleau have become quite a duo both on and off the ice, and no doubt relish the opportunity to win together after failing to do so in San Jose.

The Dallas Stars have put themselves in position to win now and would be a great landing spot, but don't rule out the Toronto Maple Leafs, Los Angeles Kings, Nashville Predators, or even the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Long summer ahead for many

It's happening every year with increased regularity: following the initial rush of signings, several players are forced to wait things out until deep into the summer or even right up until training camp to find a new hockey home.

This year will be no exception, even with the advent of a 31st franchise to fill out. The salary cap didn't increase all that much and teams are relying more and more on cheaper, younger talent.

Once the dust has settled and teams have a better handle on their respective situations, look for an onslaught of short-term, low-value deals and training camp tryouts.

As an offshoot, Jarome Iginla and Shane Doan, for example, will be left with plenty of time to think about their futures.

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)

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Teemu Selanne, Paul Kariya, Dave Andreychuk, Mark Recchi, and Danielle Goyette have been inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame as players, while Clare Drake and Jeremy Jacobs have been elected as builders.

Selanne was seen as the biggest lock of this class. He set the bar early by setting an NHL-record 76 goals as a rookie in Winnipeg, and finished his career with 684 goals and 773 assists for 1,457 points in 1,451 games. He also won a Stanley Cup with Anaheim in 2007.

It's quite special that he'd enter the Hall alongside Paul Kariya, considering the pair was linked as linemates and friends during their stints in Anaheim and Colorado. Kariya, whose career was cut short due to concussion, recorded 989 points in 989 career games.

Dave Andreychuk and Mark Recchi have been patiently waiting to get the call from the Hall. Andreychuk captained Tampa Bay to a Stanley Cup in 2004, and finished his career with 640 goals and 698 assists in 1,639 games. Recchi is a three-time Cup winner, and sits 12th all-time in NHL points with 1,533 (577 goals and 956 assists) in 1,652 games.

Goyette is one of the most successful women's players the game has seen, putting up massive amounts of points on the international stage while winning two gold medals and one silver for Canada at the Winter Olympics.

For the builders, Jacobs has been the owner of the Boston Bruins since 1975, while Drake coached the University of Alberta's Golden Bears for 28 years, winning six national championships.

This group of seven will be inducted in a ceremony Nov. 13 in Toronto.

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The Calgary Flames are going for it.

On the second day of the NHL Entry Draft in Chicago, general manager Brad Treliving sent picks to be cashed in as early as next year to the New York Islanders in exchange for defenseman Travis Hamonic.

The Islanders receive a 2018 first-round pick, a second-round selection in 2018, and a second-rounder in either 2019 or 2020, while the Flames also receive a fourth-round pick in 2019 or 2020.

A seemingly heavy price to pay, but one that demonstrates Calgary's belief that it can contend for the Stanley Cup over the next few seasons. All it has to do is look to the reigning Western Conference champion Nashville Predators as a reference point.

Fab 4

With the addition of Hamonic, the Flames now boast a top-four that arguably stacks up against any other group around the NHL, including the formidable Music City quartet that recently propelled the Predators to the Cup Final.

Giordano is five years older than any other player listed above, but the Predators' average age among their top-4 is 27, while Calgary comes in at 27.5.

Hamonic is under contract through to the end of 2019-20 on a modest cap hit of $3.857 million, giving the Flames three full seasons with this foursome.

Calgary, then, saw an opportunity to replicate the Nashville model on the blue line, and took full advantage.

Last line of defense

The addition of Hamonic comes on the heels of another key trade made by the Flames this offseason, namely the addition of Mike Smith in net. The veteran goalie is under contract for two seasons, and Treliving has stated he sees Smith as a player who "has the ability to put a team on his back."

He certainly proved that in his lone, extended playoff run with the Coyotes, posting a .944 save percentage in 16 games en route to a Western Conference Finals appearance.

The hockey world watched as Nashville's defense helped Pekka Rinne play some of the best hockey of his life this past postseason. Like Rinne, Smith isn't seen as an elite option in net, especially at this stage in his career. But with that defense in front of him, he'll be given every opportunity to succeed.

The hope in Calgary certainly must be that reinforcements on the blue line and in net will complement a young, talented forward corps and help the club take a big step forward as early as next season.

Whether it pays off is anyone's guess, but with the Predators' run of success fresh in mind, Treliving clearly sees it as a gamble worth taking.

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The NHL Entry Draft is upon us, and this year's event has the potential to be one of the more memorable in recent years.

Not due to the draft class, though, as this year's crop of prospects is far from the most prestigious.

What will set this year's event apart are teams willing to make bold moves in order to move up or down in the selection process and improve their chances of winning next season or in the long term.

The introduction of an expansion franchise to the mix also has the potential to spice things up.

Here are five predictions for this year's draft.

Nolan Patrick goes 1st

"With the first pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, the New Jersey Devils proudly select center Nolan Patrick from the WHL's Brandon Wheat Kings."

Expect general manager Ray Shero to deliver some iteration of that sentence to kick off the evening, despite some projections that Nico Hischier - who will be selected second by the Philadelphia Flyers - would jump into the top spot.

Patrick's stock took a hit due to injury issues this past season, but he's just what the Devils need and will make an immediate impact.

Stars will trade 3rd overall pick

Jim Nill is already on record as saying he'd trade the third overall pick for an established player, and with the Stars looking for upgrades on the blue line, don't be surprised if the Dallas GM tries to work out a deal with the Vegas Golden Knights, who went defense-heavy in Wednesday's expansion draft.

Yes, two highly touted defensemen in Cale Makar and Miro Heiskanen will be available, but the Stars - who also hold the 29th overall pick - are looking to win sooner than later, and need a shut-down player like Marc Methot, for example.

Vegas has three first-round picks, one of which would likely return to Dallas in such a move.

Coyotes will work to flip the script

Over the course of the past week, the Arizona Coyotes have traded starting goalie Mike Smith, and parted ways not only with the face of the franchise, Shane Doan, but also longtime head coach Dave Tippett.

Some more positive gains (not to mention public relations) are needed, and we expect GM John Chayka to use that newfound salary cap space and his two first-round picks to pull off something big in order to turn the tide.

The Coyotes are believed to be very interested in Derek Stepan of the New York Rangers, and packaging Antti Raanta in that deal would fill some big holes on Arizona's roster.

Duchene will be dealt

Drafts are made better when a blockbuster trade is involved, and the Colorado Avalanche will oblige by dealing Matt Duchene.

It's a move that's been expected, even by Duchene himself, who said after this past season's trade deadline "there's a good chance something will happen" over the summer.

Colorado's coming off a truly abysmal season, and changes are needed. Don't rule out a move to New York, even after the Islanders acquired Jordan Eberle on Thursday.

Hasty conclusions will be drawn

After every selection is made, the analysis will come in hot and heavy, and winners and losers will be declared before the draft floor is cleared.

Let's not forget the process is indeed a bit of a crapshoot, prospects develop and emerge at different speeds, and we don't really know how it will all play out for years to come.

Keep this in mind as well: In 2005, Sidney Crosby was selected first overall and has since become one of the greatest in NHL history. His Pittsburgh Penguins have won two Stanley Cups in a row, in fact, and while Crosby was named playoff MVP in both 2016 and 2017, the player who scored the Cup-clinching goal in the latest championship run was none other than Patric Hornqvist.

And when was Hornqvist drafted? 2005, same year as Crosby, but with the 230th and final pick on the second day of the event.

Every pick matters, but they don't all pan out, and some will surprise down the road.

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)

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Sergei Bobrovsky of the Columbus Blue Jackets won his second career Vezina Trophy on Wednesday after being voted the NHL's top goaltender for the 2016-17 regular season.

Bobrovsky beat out Braden Holtby, last year's winner, and Carey Price for the honor, taking 25-of-30 first-place votes.

Bobrovsky led the NHL with a 2.06 goals-against average and a .931 save percentage while guiding the Blue Jackets to the best regular season in franchise history. He finished third in wins (41) and tied for third in shutouts (seven).

The Russian netminder also took home the award in 2013.

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Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs has won the Calder Trophy, awarded to the player selected as the most proficient in his first year of competition in the NHL.

This award was expected to come down to Matthews and Winnipeg's Patrik Laine, but in the end, the vote wasn't particularly close.

Matthews was selected first overall at the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, and made an immediate impact for the Maple Leafs, scoring a record four goals in his regular-season debut.

Not only did Matthews score the most goals by a rookie (40), he finished in a tie for second among all NHL players, four behind Sidney Crosby.

Matthews' 69 points put him five ahead in Laine, albeit with nine more games played to his credit. Overall, he finished 20th in league scoring.

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