Connor McDavid signs eight year contract extension with the Oilers

Contract extension for McDavid Connor McDavid is going to play hockey in Edmonton for at least the next 9 years.

The Edmonton Oilers released details on a multi-million dollar contract that will keep Connor McDavid playing for the team for another eight years, after his current contract runs out.

Oilers President of Hockey Operations Peter Chiarelli announced Wednesday that the team had signed an eight-year contract extension with team captain Connor McDavid, for $12.5 million per year.

“I want to win here, this city has such a rich history, and it’s so important that we bring that back,” McDavid said.

In the past regular season, 20-year-old McDavid led the NHL in assists, with 70, and 100 points – and when the Oilers made it into the playoffs for 13 games, he added five goals and four assists.

He wrapped up the season at the NHL Awards in June with the Hart Trophy – awarded to the league’s most valuable player to his team, and the Ted Lindsay Award, as the most outstanding player in the regular season.

The contract is for the maximum of eight years, and it makes McDavid the highest paid player in the NHL, although the amount of money he’s receiving is seen as a so-called ‘hometown discount’.

“I assure you it easily could have been a lot higher in value and shorter in term,” Chiarelli said.

This contract will kick in once McDavid's entry-level contract ends, after the 2017-2018 season.

With files from Dan Grummett and TSN.ca Staff