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If McDavid signs for maximum contract, Oilers fans should celebrate. But he may yet pull a Crosby ….

Under the current Collective Bargaining Agreement, it’s not possible for the Edmonton Oilers to overpay Connor McDavid.

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McDavid could get the maximum amount of $15 million over 8 years and he’s such a unique player that he’d still be underpaid. A player who adds as much to winning as McDavid does would fetch a killing on an open market. It’s easy to imagine some team offering him $20 million or $25 million a year if there was no salary cap. That’s closer to his real value to an NHL owner.

So the first fact of this contract negotiation between McDavid and the Oilers is that if McDavid takes anything less than the maximum contract, he’s taking a hometown discount.

If he settles at $10 or $11 million or $12 million, he’s taking a major one. He would be giving up millions on his contract.

Who would do such a thing? Well, Sidney Crosby in Pittsburgh did, but few others.