What McDavid Would Make If He Played in Another League

If the NHL didn’t have a salary cap, Connor McDavid’s next contract might look radically different. According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Edmonton Oilers would have no issue paying their captain a record-breaking salary in a freer market setting.

Speaking on the 32 Thoughts podcast, Friedman noted the expectation around the league that McDavid will be one of the two highest-paid players—alongside Minnesota’s Kirill Kaprizov—once the next wave of extensions is signed. “If the Oilers could pay McDavid $50 million, he would deserve $50 million,” Friedman said, implying that Edmonton would eagerly pay much more than the current cap structure allows.

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Under today’s NHL rules, McDavid’s max salary is limited to 20 percent of the team cap—about $19.1 million annually under the projected 2025-26 cap. However, as the cap continues to rise over the next couple of seasons, McDavid’s annual average salary could also rise. Under a $113 million cap, McDavid could take $22.6 million. By 2028-29, it could be nearly $25 million. He may never reach the $50 mark, but if he were to continually sign one-year deals, he might eventually get close before the end of his career.

David Staples took this idea even further in a post for the Edmonton Journal. He estimated what McDavid would make if he took a percentage of the team revenue, much like NFL quarterback Dak Prescott does with the Dallas Cowboys. Prescott earns over 10 percent of the Cowboys’ revenue. In the NBA, Steph Curry takes home seven percent of Golden State’s, and MLB’s Juan Soto earns nearly 25 percent of what the New York Mets make.

If McDavid were even 10% of the Oilers’ estimated $388 million in revenue last season, he’d be making $38 million per season.

Does McDavid Deserve to Make More?

McDavid will be the highest-paid player in the NHL when he signs his next contract. Many will argue he’s doing just fine and making plenty. But, when compared to other pro sports leagues, McDavid’s salary is peanuts to some of their top players. One could argue he means more to the NHL than these others do to their leagues, and maybe he would be compensated accordingly.

Staples took the average of Prescott, Curry, and Soto and worked it out to just over 14% of the team revenue. If McDavid got that from the Oilers, he would be making $47.5 million. It sounds like Friedman wasn’t that far off when he said $50 million.

Next: From McDavid to Hutson: How a Market Reset Is Delaying NHL Deals