Connor McDavid can become the NHL’s first $20 million player and here’s how

The NHL salary cap is currently at $88 million. It will go to $95.5 million in 2025-26, $104 million in 2026-27 and $113.5 million in 2027-28. The Edmonton Oilers will have money to spend. And the league’s best player in the world needs a new deal.

Connor McDavid’s current contract ends in 2026, just in time for the cap to jump over $100 million. He’s eligible to sign an extension on July 1 ahead of the final year of his current deal He’ll be 29 when his next contract starts. As Dom Luszczyszyn of the Athletic, who asks the very pertinent question: can he be the NHL’s first $20 million player?, explains it: “McDavid would be well worth it.”

“On the conservative side, he’s worth $21.8 million over eight seasons. On the aggressive side, his average value comes out to $23.5 million. That’s a huge number, but it’s worth noting that at 5 percent growth, a $20 million contract would be worth 15 percent of the cap by Year 5 of a new McDavid deal. In fact, it already drops to 17.6 percent in Year 2 at the already-planned increase to $113.5 million.”

With the cap projections as high, Luszczyszyn believes the Oilers would even have enough to add around the superstar captain.

“And in a rapidly rising cap environment, even a deal as high as $20 million leaves room to add around McDavid, especially as it ages. Win-win — even if a deal of that caliber comes with major sticker shock.”

And so I have a feeling we might just see McDavid become the NHL’s first $20 million player.