Connor McDavid Signs Deal With Edmonton Oilers

Connor McDavid is now officially a member of the Edmonton Oilers. The top pick in the recent NHL draft and the Oilers agreed to terms on a three-year, entry-level contract. With bonuses, McDavid could earn as much as $3.77 million per season. That’s small change compared to what he’ll make in his *next* NHL deal assuming that he’s as good as expected.

The 18 year old McDavid has been the ‘next big thing’ for several years now and is almost ridiculously poised with the media for an 18 year old. His thoughts on his rookie year deal: “It’s very special, obviously; there is draft day and then there’s the day that you sign your first deal. It’s been a crazy couple of weeks and I’m very honored to be able to do that.”

Things will only get crazier for McDavid. In fact, they already have. On Thursday, the Oilers opened the third day of developmental camp to the public and over 3,000 fans showed up at Rexall Place to watch drills. At one point, fans started to cheer enthusiastically as McDavid routinely shot pucks into an empty net. McDavid found the reaction amusing: “No, I’ve never had anything like that. It was pretty funny skating around shooting in the open net and they were celebrating. At the end of the day it truly means a lot, the support they’ve shown me. It’s a little bit different obviously, but the support they’ve shown myself and all the new Oilers is exciting. They’re excited, and it’s nice to have them supporting us like that.”

There’s that poise again–notice how quickly McDavid took Edmonton fans treating him like the new messiah and turned it into ‘supporting us’. Mentally, he sure looks to be ready for the challenges of the National Hockey League. Asked what he wants to work on before the start of his first NHL season McDavid responded: “”I just want to get bigger, stronger, faster, I think that is so important. To play at the next level, you have to be all those things, so that’s something I’m just going to work on. I’m just going to try and get as big and as strong as possible, so I don’t think I’m going to take much time off. I’ve been running around a little bit, but there is a chance to get into a rhythm and routine every day. I won’t take too much time off.”

McDavid will return home to Ontario until training camp officially begins.