Wayne Gretzky shares his thoughts on Connor McDavid’s new contract

Connor McDavid signed an extension with the Edmonton Oilers earlier this week — a two-year deal with an average annual salary of 12.5 million dollars. His new contract has the entire league debating whether he made the right choice by giving the Oilers a significant hometown discount. Now, Wayne Gretzky has shared his thoughts on the deal.

Last week, Kirill Kaprizov signed the largest contract in NHL history when he agreed to an extension with the Minnesota Wild — eight years with an average annual salary of 17 million dollars.

Connor McDavid contract extension

Fans and analysts then speculated about how large Connor McDavid’s new contract would be, especially given that the salary cap is expected to rise substantially in the coming seasons. But when push came to shove, McDavid opted for a two-year extension with the Oilers worth an average of 12.5 million dollars per year — much less than expected. That suggests McDavid is focused on winning in Edmonton. Now, Wayne Gretzky has spoken out about McDavid’s new contract.

READ MORE: NHL insider makes stunning claim about McDavid’s contract

Wayne Gretzky shares his thoughts

During the broadcast of the Vegas Golden Knights’ season opener against the Los Angeles Kings, Gretzky was asked about Connot McDavid’s new deal.
“First of all, we all know he’s worth way more than that. He gave a hometown discount — he wants to win there. They can use some of those assets and that money to get other players and make their team better. It doesn’t do him any good to take all the money he can at the maximum rate and not be able to build a team around him,” Gretzky explained.

”Going to be a surprise”

“But I think Edmonton is going to be a surprise team this year. I think they’re a better team than they were last year. They’re younger, they’re faster, and they’ve got two of the best players in the game. So, you know, good for him, good for the city of Edmonton, and I expect the Oilers to have a wonderful year,” Gretzky said.
The Edmonton Oilers lost their season opener against their Alberta rivals, the Calgary Flames.
You can watch the clip below.

.@WayneGretzky knows Connor McDavid had one thing in mind when he signed for $12.5M AAV… The Stanley Cup pic.twitter.com/fBMK2FJXPO

— NHLonTNT (@NHL_On_TNT) October 8, 2025

READ MORE: Roberto Luongo has hilarious reaction to McDavid’s new contract

The post Wayne Gretzky shares his thoughts on Connor McDavid’s new contract appeared first on The Hockey Beast.