Edmonton Oilers GM Bowman reveals how McDavid's contract came together
Connor McDavid will remain with the Edmonton Oilers for the next three seasons.
The Oilers captain has finally signed a two-year extension with the team, which will run through the 2027-28 season. It’s a short-term deal for McDavid, and one that will only carry a $12.5 million cap hit, making it an absolute bargain for Edmonton.
This came after a long, tense process that had everybody wondering about the negotiations between McDavid and the Oilers. After all, this lasted far longer than most people expected and drew quite a bit of noise into the Edmonton dressing room just days before the season was set to start.
GM Stan Bowman met with the media on Monday and revealed how the team got McDavid to sign such a cheap contract when he easily could have become the highest-paid player in the NHL.
“That was what Connor wanted,” Bowman said. “It was not like we made a pitch that he should sign for that amount; we never had those conversations at all.
“I’ve been able to run into some of our players here today… The players are shocked as well, like, ‘Holy cow, what a leader this guy is,’ and I think everyone probably had the same reaction.”
"This is a very exciting day for our organization & for the fans in Edmonton & our team."#Oilers GM Stan Bowman addresses the media following the announcements of Connor McDavid's two-year contract extension & Jake Walman's seven-year deal.@Enterprise | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/NcfGXXGTHR
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) October 6, 2025
Bowman is no stranger to signing big contracts. He managed a powerhouse Chicago Blackhawks squad at the height of their power in the 2010s, which included signing players like Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane in their prime.
He was also GM of the Oilers when they inked Leon Draisaitl to his massive eight-year extension last September. You would think that Bowman has seen it all when it comes to contract negotiations, but he admitted that he had never dealt with a negotiation quite like McDavid’s.
“This is unique, I would say there’s nothing else like this negotiation, if you call it that,” Bowman said. “It was really more of a dialogue and a conversation throughout the last few months, and really nothing to do with the contract itself.
“Where we’re headed and the vision of the team, and how we’re going to improve… Very unusual, but very interesting, and it was great to have conversations.”
It’s clear now that McDavid did not care about maximizing his earnings on this next contract. He could have been a $20 million player if he wanted to, and he isn’t even the highest-paid player on the Oilers, with Leon Draisaitl making $14 million.
Bowman reiterated that money was rarely brought up during negotiations.
“I’m being genuine when I say every conversation I’ve had with Connor or [McDavid’s agent Judd Moldaver] over the summer, and the previous weeks, we never once talked about money,” Bowman said. “It’s not about the money for Connor, that’s not at all what this is about.”
Given that this isn’t a long-term deal, logic would say that this puts pressure on the Oilers management team to maximize success over the next three seasons. If they can’t, it feels likely that McDavid could ultimately opt to leave Edmonton after this new contract expires.
When asked about how this changes things, Bowman gave a fairly honest answer.
“Nothing changes… The reason I came here was because I believe we can win, and I want to win, and that’s what motivates me to do this,” Bowman said. “I know that’s what motivates Connor… I think it’s continuing on with our approach, which has always been, we’re here pushing ourselves every day to make our team better.
“Nothing will change in that regard. It’s full-steam ahead, and it’s an exciting time to be with an organization.”
Bowman went on to say that Connor taking significantly less on this contract won’t do much to help the team right now, but it will have a major impact on their offseason plans. The Oilers are set to have an estimated $22 million in cap space next summer after the McDavid and Jake Walman extensions kick in.
Right now, however, the focus will be shifting attention back to Wednesday’s home opener and getting back to the Stanley Cup Final.