The agent for Edmonton Oilers Superstar Connor McDavid, Judd Moldaver, appeared on Sportsnet’s most recent “32 Thoughts” podcast, alongside host Kyle Bukauskas and insider Elliotte Friedman. The Thanksgiving Day episode covered McDavid’s recent contract extension. Moldaver spoke to the offseason-long “process” that culminated with an extension on the eve of the NHL’s regular season.
Key quotes from Moldaver about the contract extension
Moldaver started by reiterating what McDavid had said all along, about winning as an Edmonton Oiler. “His intention, as he’s said publicly, privately, has been one thing; that is to win a Stanley Cup as an Edmonton Oilers,” Moldaver said. “He loves the fanbase, the organization, his teammates.”
Moldaver also clearly stated it was a process, and not a negotiation. More importantly, the Oilers organization gave McDavid the requisite time and space to himself. “It wasn’t a negotiation, it was a process,” Moldaver said. “And they respected Connor’s process, and how he was going to think about what was going to make him feel comfortable.”
What Moldaver said about the “process” leading up to the contract extension
“Him and I had a great kind of plan, and the plan was to allow him to take his time, be widely patient, and think through things. And ultimately, if your process is correct, you usually get a great end result… there wasn’t a date we had circled with a red pen.”
“(He) wanted to find a deal construct that put himself and his teammates in the best position to succeed.”
“On top of exploring everything from a conceptual standpoint, it was trying to find the right math, and the right term, that most optimally acquiesced Connor’s ability to win as an Oiler, while maintaining, protect(ing) his individual value.”
On whether he tried to push McDavid to sign for more money
“There’s certain permutations that I might have raised my hand (about) and said ‘Hey, 97, maybe not that much,’ perhaps, but ultimately, as a representative, you’re always striving to protect your client’s interests, you obviously want to push for guys to make as much money as they can… I think, in this particular case, as Connor referenced, he’s still being paid handsomely… There’s not as many two-year permutations that have this high of a pay rate in our sport.”
“I still think the deal is transcendent, notwithstanding people expecting a higher number.”
Moldaver also was keen to note that this was truly McDavid’s decision, and that not even he was rushing the Oilers superstar. They would also know, when McDavid’s mind was made up, exactly what the specifics of the deal would be. “If he gave me the green-light to execute a deal, we would know what that construct would look like,” Moldaver said.
Moldaver gave one additional bit of logic, to provide extra depth behind McDavid’s final decision. “The fact remains, the more pie you take, the less pie there is for others, regardless of how high the cap goes up,” he noted.
The offseason comments from both player and management were honest all along
Dating back to July, the vibe had been that McDavid wanted to remain in Edmonton. President of Hockey Operations Jeff Jackson even went on former Sportsnet personality Jeff Marek’s podcast, “The Sheet,” and described a hakuna matata conversation with Moldaver, to the theme of a summer backyard setting. Further comments from analysts like Bob Stauffer lent credence to Jackson’s observations.
When McDavid came back to Alberta for Team Canada activities and the start of training camp, he was unequivocal. He wanted to win a Cup as an Oiler, and would take his time figuring out a new contract. General Manager Stan Bowman concurred when asked about McDavid.
Everyone in tune with what was going on ended up being correct. McDavid wants to win as an Oiler, and just needed some time to figure things out. Fortunately for a market where the local media amplifies storylines, McDavid re-upped 48 hours prior to puck drop on the new Oilers campaign. But the point is this was always going to happen, by the sounds of it.
This extension is a one-of-a-kind deal for a one-of-a-kind player
While on the surface it doesn’t seem like it, Moldaver is astute in saying it’s still a transcendent extension McDavid signed. Not many franchise faces re-sign for only two years at a time, usually because more money can be made on longer deals. Short extensions in hockey tend to have much lower AAV’s as a result.
McDavid is the first significant example of a prime-aged superstar being able to take a short-term extension. Even better, he’s proven to other players it can carry the same AAV as their previous contract. For elite talents who want to win now and cash in later, with a higher salary cap, this contract extension is a game-changer.
As has been noted, the Oilers were signing whatever McDavid wanted to sign for. Very few players in hockey get the blank-cheque treatment. But then, very few are like McDavid. If anyone was going to dictate the terms of his next contract, it would be him. And if anyone has an insane drive to win the Stanley Cup this season and/or next, it is #97.
McDavid is one of one. So too, is his contract extension. Now it is up to the Oilers brass to seize upon the opportunity their generational talent has afforded them.
Photo by Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire
