The Edmonton Oilers second-best player was set to be an unrestricted free agent next summer. That means the Canadian media, especially the Edmonton media, has been clutching their pearls for at least a year already concerned that he would leave the team and sign elsewhere. Well, that fear has passed as the team announced that the 28-year-old signed an eight-year extension with an AAV of $14 million that will begin with the 2025-26 season. Now the media can get back to criticizing him for not showing up in big games.
The $14 million AAV is significant as it sets a new high for contracts, topping Auston Matthews’ $13.25 AAV that starts this year. With the deal, the German forward hopes to be an “Oiler for life“. As with most high-dollar contracts, most of the money will come in the form of signing bonuses.
Connor McDavid’s deal is up in two more years. Could he top his teammate’s record deal and become the first NHL player to top $20 million a year?
Other Hockey News
Speaking of contracts, Seth Jarvis signed a new deal a few days ago. There was no doubt that Carolina was going to reward him with a lucrative extension and they followed through by signing him to an 8-year, $63.2 million deal. What did stand out was the $15.67 million in signing bonuses that will be deferred until July 1, 2032, the day after his extension expires. Deferred payments aren’t new to other sports (baseball fans have been celebrating Bobby Bonilla Day for 20 years) but they have yet to be used that much in the NHL. The benefit for the team is that it lowers the AAV from $7.9 million to $7.4 million due to how future dollars are calculated.
Our Top 25 Under 25 countdown is underway and yesterday’s featured player was big defenseman Jan Golicic. A toolsy player with tremendous upside, Golicic will probably need a few more seasons in junior hockey before we can get a good read on how he is going to develop.
Speaking of prospects, Corey Pronman ranked his top prospects under the age of 23. Before you get the pitchforks out, he did have a member of the Lightning on his list! Conor Geekie came in as a “Tier 7” player, which Pronman described as “Middle of the line-up player”.
“He’s always been a big center with very good offensive skills, but what I’ve liked about Geekie’s progression is he’s developed more of a physical edge. He uses his big body to get to the net and has shown a lot of off-puck value. His skating has been and remains a concern and despite his offensive output this year, I don’t see a true elite stick and brain in his game. He projects as a two-way third-line center in the NHL with a chance to be a 2C.”
Switching leagues for a minute. The Minnesota PWHL hired a new general manager on Tuesday as they named Melissa Caruso to the position. Caruso has been with the AHL for the last 15 seasons, most recently serving as the VP of Hockey Operations and Governance. The position opened up after the team won the inaugural Walker Cup. However, infighting led to their original GM, Natalie Darwitz, parting ways with the team.
Back to the NHL with news that noted on-ice pest, Brad Marchand was busy in the offseason. Well, to be more precise, his medical team was busy. Marchand had surgery to repair a torn tendon in his elbow. He followed that up with surgeries to his groin and abdomen to fix a sports hernia. Tough summer for the kid.
Tonight, the Columbus Blue Jackets will hold a candlelight vigil for Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau. There has been an outpour of support in Columbus and Calgary following the tragic death of the brothers last week. Members of the organization will speak at the vigil and there will be 13:21 of silence (honoring the brothers uniform numbers). Calgary will also be holding a ceremony this evening.
