As we all know, the NHL’s best player Connor McDavid is heading towards a massive payday as his 8x12.5 million dollar deal comes to an end, and as dollar signs begin to become clearer for the Oilers star man, not only could he be benefiting from his next mega deal, but the Minnesota Wild’s Russian freak Kirill Kaprizov could be smiling as much as him come next summer as his next deal may be heavily influenced by McDavid’s massive extension.
Contract talk around McDavid has gone on now ever since the end of the Stanley Cup finals, and with a variety of different thoughts and scenarios over his next deal, the chances of the deal hitting $20 million AAV now seems unlikely. As of recent, a four to five year deal at around $16-17 million AAV has been rumoured to be the ideal contract, but not reaching the magic 20 may mean some significant pay rises for some of the league's biggest stars.
With Edmonton already having the league's highest paid star in Leon Draisaitl at $14 million AAV, it will come as no surprise that McDavid will surpass that by at least $2 million, but others like Kirill Kaprizov seem likely to overtake him too. Earlier in the year it was rumoured that Mikko Rantanen would be the next to fetch a big $14-15 million deal, but after signing a $12 million AAV with Dallas, the bar was set with Draisaitl, but the market is bound to get a whole lot crazier with McDavid’s extension.
As important as Kaprizov is to Minnesota, it was already pretty concrete that he would at least get the Draisaitl deal on his next deal, but if McDavid manages to reach say 17 or 18 million AAV, it is sure that Kaprizov and his team won't stoop lower than 15, and a whole new market may be ready to change contracts forever. In Kaprizov's case, the higher McDavid’s AAV, the better his contract argument gets. But, it goes both ways. Had Kaprizov signed before McDavid and secured say $15 million AAV, or even $16 million, it wouldn't be crazy for McDavid to demand 18-20, and may set the new bar even higher.
This summer, with the free agents on offer, the market is set for a massive change, and it may be the dawn of a new era where $10 million AAV deals aren't as shiny as they used to be. And with the salary cap continuing to rapidly grow and increase, and elite players feeding off similar contracts for massive extensions, Kaprizov and McDavid may be the perfect example of how players may begin to exploit similar deals, and their worth may be portrayed through other players. But, if McDavid fetches 18-20 million AAV with his next deal, Kaprizov won't just have a smile from ear to ear, his team, and himself will have a field day in negotiations, and a bigger deal for McDavid only opens the door further for a massive deal for Kaprizov wherever he ends up next year.
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