NHL analyst gives 3 key reasons why Connor McDavid could become the first $20 million superstar

Hockey analyst Dom Luszczyszyn, crunching the numbers, said that Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid is likely to be the NHL’s first 20-million dollar man.

Looking at the massive projected cap jumps over the next three years, Luszczyszyn broke down the implications of the finances for the NHL in his column in The Athletic.

On Jan. 31, the NHL and NHLPA jointly announced the core salary cap numbers through 2027-28.

“Team payroll ranges for the next three seasons would be an Upper Limit of $95.5 million and a Lower Limit of $70.6 million next season; an Upper Limit of $104 million and a Lower Limit of $76.9 million in 2026-27 and an Upper Limit of $113.5 million in 2027-28 with a Lower Limit of $83.9 million,” the joint statement read.

Luszczyszyn wrote that the financial spike “carries immense implications for the league’s contract landscape.”

He illustrated just how much player salaries and contracts could change by taking the example of the Edmonton Oilers superstar, who's arguably the best player in the NHL right now.

“A league-max deal is 20 percent of the cap and during the 2026-27 season that amounts to $20.8 million. According to my model, McDavid is currently the only player in the league projected to be worth 20 percent of the cap or more,” Luszczyszyn said via The Athletic.

Luszczyszyn went on to list the reasons why he thinks his simulation is feasible. First, he said that Connor McDavid’s current deal will expire in 2026, and he will be negotiating a new contract just as the salary cap crossed $100 million.

Second, the NHL writer pointed out that with more money to pay players, their long-term value would also dip much slower than it does currently.

Third, Luszczyszyn analyzed that the NHL will start paying players more to match the money that stars in other sports leagues like the NBA, NFL and MLB earn.

“The highest-paid NFL, NBA and MLB players all clear $50 million per season. The NHL is still playing catch-up on that front and McDavid has a chance to pave the way for that by raising the bar in a serious way,” Luszczyszyn wrote.

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Connor McDavid looking forward to 4 Nations Face-Off

Connor McDavid is set to join his fellow country players for the 4 Nations Face-Off from Feb. 12-20. He talked about the importance of best-on-best hockey in an interview on Sportsnet with Gene Principe on Thursday.

"Collectively, we all want to grow the game, and the only way to do that is to showcase it at its highest level. You know, the NHL is hockey at the highest level. There's a step even above that, you know, and that's these best-on-best tournaments," Connor McDavid said.

Canada will play the first game of the tournament on Feb. 12 against Sweden.