Pekka Kumpula
Connor McDavid’s new contract creates pressure in Edmonton, writes Pekka Kumpula.
(updated )
Connor McDavid wants to win the Stanley Cup. Zumawire / mvphotos
On Monday, Connor McDavid signed a two -year extension of $ 12.5 million with Edmonton Oilers.
He made a solution that tells everything that really means to him.
I dare say that the Oilers superstar could, if he so wished, have made the largest contract in history, such as eight years and up to $ 150 million, which would have made him the NHL’s best -paid player for years to come.
Instead, McDavid only signed a two -year extension agreement and left a tremendously on the table.
It is certainly not that McDavid has not been offered money. He simply decided to take less. The act is exceptional in the era when the NHL stars maximize their income and bind themselves to secured million-in-million.
McDavid’s decision is first and foremost athletic, not financial. This is an extremely clear message: McDavid does not play money now, but the Stanley Cup. He wants to win at all costs.
A $ 12.5 million wage roofing agreement gives the Oilers a little bit of room for maneuver. McDavid is clearly ready to compromise on its own income so that the club can strengthen the team around him. It is a true leader of the leader.
At the same time, the solution sets the club under the enormous pressure. Edmonton now has to prove that it can build a championship team.
If the Oilers are unable to win the championship in the next three seasons or even advance to the finals, McDavid has the freedom to find success elsewhere. And at that point, it’s hard to see that he or she would stay in a club that has repeatedly failed to fulfill his promise.
So Edmonton has to play not only in the Stanley Cup, but also for the future of his captain.
At the same time, McDavid takes a huge personal risk. One bad injury can change everything. Especially for a player like him, whose game is based on speed and agility.
A two -year contract without long -term security is a bold bet, almost gambling when it comes to potential income of over $ 100 million.
You could say that McDavid is now playing up and running out.