Connor McDavid might copy Auston Matthews' 4-year, $53M Maple Leafs contract move, per NHL analyst

Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid might follow Auston Matthews' contract plan. Matthews signed a four-year, $53 million deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2023. Speaking on TSN's "Melnick in the Afternoon" on Tuesday, NHL analyst Jim Biringer said McDavid could do the same.

McDavid’s current contract ends after the 2025-26 season. He will become an unrestricted free agent if he does not sign before July 1 next year. He is signed to an eight-year, $100 million deal with the Oilers. His cap hit is $12.5 million per year, but he is expected to take a significant raise in his next contract.

The NHL salary cap is $95.5 million this season. It could increase to $113.5 million in 2027-28 or more in future years. That gives top players more options with shorter deals. Biringer said players might bet on themselves with three- or four-year contracts.

"With the salary cap, taking the increase that we expect it to," Biringer said. [03:46 onwards] "These huge jumps, especially next year, and then the year after that, where, you know, we're seeing projections like 113, 120 million salary cap.

"I could see young players saying, hey, you know what? May I take three years? May I take four years? ...Now, Auston Matthews was the first guy to do it. Now we're hearing more and more about it with like, Connor McDavid."

Biringer said Connor McDavid could take a short deal instead of another long-term one. He may want to see what the Oilers can do, because a short contract gives him more control.

"Yeah," Biringer said. [07:10 onwards] "I mean, if he (McDavid) takes a two-year deal or three-year deal - what if he only takes a one-year deal and says, 'Hey guys, I'm putting pressure on you in Edmonton, you've got to put us the winner on the ice.'"

Biringer thinks McDavid should test Edmonton to build a winning team right away. Biringer noted that the current roster is not as strong as the one that lost to the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final two seasons ago. In his view, McDavid will likely stay in Edmonton but sign a shorter deal.

"I think McDavid is going to stay in Edmonton, but I only think he's going to take a short-term deal," Biringer said. "I don't think it's going to be eight years, like people think. It might be only four years, and he's going to say, 'All right, what can you do for me in this short window so we can win and get back there and hoist the Stanley Cup?'"

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Connor McDavid is in "no rush" for contract talks with Oilers

In the 2024-25 NHL season, Connor McDavid scored 100 points in 67 games and had 33 points in 22 playoff games. Despite his consistent offensive numbers, the Oilers lost in the Stanley Cup Final to the Florida Panthers again.

Speaking in June, a couple of weeks before being eligible to negotiate a deal with Edmonton, McDavid said he is not ready to sign a new contract yet.

"I’m going to take some time to regroup," McDavid said, via NHL.com "I’m going to talk to my agent a little bit and family and all that, and make some decisions whenever that time comes. But there’s no rush on anything like that."

Connor McDavid has reached 1,082 career points and is No. 2 in Oilers history behind Wayne Gretzky. He helped Canada win the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament earlier this year. McDavid also has eight seasons with 100 or more points.