Canadiens GM Kent Hughes shares his honest take on Connor McDavid's $25M contract extension

NHL: FEB 10 Canadiens press conference - Source: Getty
Kent Hughes react to Connor McDavid’s new $25M Edmonton contract (image credit: getty)

Montreal Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes shared his thoughts on Connor McDavid’s extension with the Edmonton Oilers. Hughes said he was not surprised by the star center's decision to sign the two-year $25 million deal. He highlighted that McDavid enjoys playing in Edmonton and wants to win.

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“I’m not surprised what McDavid did," Hughes said on Wednesday, via r/habs. "He likes it in Edmonton, he wants to win. By committing to a short term deal, he can monitor how things progress. At the same time, he wants to give them the financial flexibility to build around him.”
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McDavid emphaized in August that winning is his main goal.

“I have every intention to win in Edmonton,” McDavid said, via The Athletic. “It’s my only focus, maybe next to winning the (Olympic) gold medal with Canada. But it is my intention to win there.”

Even with McDavid’s strong performance, the Oilers lost the Stanley Cup Final to Florida Panthers for the second consecutive year. He scored seven goals and added 26 assists for 33 points in last season's playoffs.

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Edmonton general manager Stan Bowman said the $12.5 million cap hit was exactly what McDavid wanted.

“It’s not like we made a pitch that he should sign for that amount,” Bowman said, via NHL.com.

He added that McDavid is a unique player, a strong leader and motivated to win.

"Getting to know Connor how I have for the last year, he’s such a one-of-a-kind guy, such a tremendous leader and so motivated to try and win," Bowman said.
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McDavid's new contract starts in the 2026-27 season and runs through 2027-28. He continues to be one of NHL’s top players, leading Edmonton on and off ice.

Connor McDavid's deal shows his focus is on helping team, not just on personal earnings

Connor McDavid made it clear on Tuesday that his new two-year $25 million contract with the Edmonton Oilers is about putting the team first.

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“I obviously said I was committed to winning here and I meant that when I said that, and two years makes a lot of sense,” McDavid said, via NHL.com.

He explained that the short-term deal keeps the core group together and provides the team with flexibility to improve the roster under the salary cap.

“It gives us a chance to play that out and that’s important to me,” McDavid said.

McDavid, drafted at No. 1 by Edmonton in 2015, has completed 10 NHL seasons. He wanted to finalize the contract before the season started to avoid distractions and provide clarity to his teammates, coach and the management.

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Edited by Victor Ramon Galvez
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