Anonymous NHL agent quotes staggering starting figure for Connor McDavid contract talks

Connor McDavid’s contract with the Edmonton Oilers continues to garner attention. He has not decided on a new deal as the start of the 2025-26 season nears. This will be his last campaign of his eight-year $100 million contract, making him a free agent in 2026.

A recent poll of NHL agents by The Athletic shared surprising figures. One agent said McDavid should be the highest-paid player at the max contract.

"If I was representing him, this player would be the highest-paid player at the max contract," the agent said on Monday. "Less than that? That’s a non-starter."

Leon Draisaitl was the league's highest paid player after signing his $112 million contract in 2024. However, the Minnesota Wild signed Kirill Kaprizov to an eight-year $136 million extension starting in 2026-27.

Another agent highlighted that McDavid's contract should start at $20 million per season.

"It would be starting at $20 million," the agent said. "A team has $100 million to spend (next season). To me, this goes back to the days of Gretzky, Lemieux — the best players in the game should be the highest paid. That’s important.

"He has earned enough money in his career to absolutely play out this season and then decide at the end of the year what he wants to do."

McDavid scored 100 points in 67 games and 33 points in 22 playoff matchups in 2024-25. It was his eighth career 100-point season.

He has won three Hart and five Art Ross Trophies, further strengthening his case to be the league's highest-paid player.

McDavid is taking his time to decide while discussing with his family and his agent. His focus remains on winning in Edmonton and at the Olympics.

"I’ll take my time and go through everything," McDavid said on Aug. 27, via NHL.com. "I have every intention to win in Edmonton. It’s my only focus, maybe next to winning a gold medal with Canada."

McDavid is widely expected to earn the largest average annual value in NHL history.

Connor McDavid's comments about earning "fair"

Connor McDavid shared that he wants his next contract to balance fair pay and the Edmonton Oilers’ chance to win the Stanley Cup. He admitted this is not easy under the salary cap.

"I’m trying to come up with a solution for everybody," McDavid said on Sept. 5, via NHL.com. "I put everything I have into this and deserve to be paid what I feel is fair. With that being said, there is a salary cap, and my only desire is to win, so trying to figure out that balance is tricky."

The Oilers have only $225,834 in cap space, and McDavid’s next contract is expected to set an NHL benchmark. Teams and fans are closely monitoring the negotiations, and his decision will be important for the league and Edmonton’s future.