In a shocking move, Connor McDavid, widely considered the best player in the NHL, has left the Edmonton Oilers to sign a 4-year contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs. The deal, worth a reported $44 million per year, makes McDavid the highest-paid player in NHL history.
The news sent shockwaves through the hockey world, with fans and analysts alike struggling to come to terms with the departure of McDavid from the only team he has ever known. The 27-year-old superstar had spent his entire 8-year career with the Oilers, leading the team to the playoffs multiple times and winning numerous individual awards.
“I’m thrilled to join the Toronto Maple Leafs and be a part of such a rich and storied franchise,” McDavid said in a statement. “I’m excited to contribute to the team’s success and help bring a Stanley Cup championship to the city of Toronto.”
The Maple Leafs, who have been searching for a true superstar to lead their team, welcomed McDavid with open arms. “We are ecstatic to add Connor McDavid to our roster,” said Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas. “He is a generational talent and a proven winner. We believe he will be a key piece in our pursuit of a Stanley Cup championship.”
The move is a significant blow to the Edmonton Oilers, who will now have to rebuild their team without their star player. “We are disappointed to lose Connor, but we wish him all the best in his new chapter with the Maple Leafs,” said Oilers GM Ken Holland.
The NHL world will be watching with bated breath as McDavid dons the blue and white of the Maple Leafs for the first time. Can he lead his new team to glory, or will the pressure of being the highest-paid player in the league prove too much to handle? Only time will tell.
But for all these great players have brought to their teams, no NHL team has yet won the Stanley Cup in the league’s salary cap era, 2005-24, with a player on its roster making more than $10 million per season.
My Cult of Hockey colleague Bruce McCurdy brought up this fact in our new podcast on Edmonton’s contract negotiations with Leon Draisaitl and, shortly, with Connor McDavid.
In recent years, Stanley Cup winning teams have had three players who made $10 million on the nose, Sergei Bobrovsky and Alexander Barkov in Florida and Jack Eichel in Vegas, but no team has gone all the way with a player making more than that.
Fourteen players made more than $10 million in cap hit in the NHL last season, with Auston Matthews leading the way at $13.25 million. Toronto had two other players in this group, John Tavares at $11 million and Mitch Marner at $10.9 million. But Toronto, once again, failed to win even one ground in the playoffs.
Drew Doughty of the Los Angeles Kings made $11 million last year, ninth most in the NHL. But his Kings were again bounced in the first round of the NHL playoffs.
Indeed, since Doughty’s deal jumped from $7 million to $11 million in the 2019-20 season, the Kings have failed to make the playoffs twice and been bounced in the first round three times.
The second great Kings player, Anze Kopitar, went from $6.8 million to $10 million a year in the 2015-16 season. In the four seasons before Kopitar’s raise kicked in, the Kings won two Stanley Cups. They did not win a round after Kopitar’s big salary boost happened.
In recent years, Stanley Cup winning teams have had three players who made $10 million on the nose, Sergei Bobrovsky and Alexander Barkov in Florida and Jack Eichel in Vegas, but no team has gone all the way with a player making more than that.
Fourteen players made more than $10 million in cap hit in the NHL last season, with Auston Matthews leading the way at $13.25 million. Toronto had two other players in this group, John Tavares at $11 million and Mitch Marner at $10.9 million. But Toronto, once again, failed to win even one ground in the playoffs.
Drew Doughty of the Los Angeles Kings made $11 million last year, ninth most in the NHL. But his Kings were again bounced in the first round of the NHL playoffs.
Indeed, since Doughty’s deal jumped from $7 million to $11 million in the 2019-20 season, the Kings have failed to make the playoffs twice and been bounced in the first round three times.
The second great Kings player, Anze Kopitar, went from $6.8 million to $10 million a year in the 2015-16 season. In the four seasons before Kopitar’s raise kicked in, the Kings won two Stanley Cups. They did not win a round after Kopitar’s big salary boost happened.