“You Can’t Just Go Out and Buy Players” When NHL Superstar Connor McDavid Raised Concerns Over Pay Disparity Compared to NBA

Published 03/07/2023, 3:49 PM EST

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Known as The Next One, Connor McDavid is acing towards breaking some great records by his predecessors. The 26-year-old is the NHL star of the Edmonton Oilers, and is showing some great prowess in the rink to inscribe his name on the history books of the league But, the situation was quite reversed a few years ago.

In 2018, McDavid gave an interview where the hockey star shared his concern about the salary. Evidently, he was not happy with the dissimilarity of payment of the NHL star with that of the NBA stars. Let’s scroll down to check out what he said in the interview.

Connor McDavid once got candid about his paycheck

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2018 was indeed a crucial time for the Oilers’ captain. After joining the team in 2015, McDavid became a captain in the 2016-2017 season as the youngest NHL captain in history. Though in 2017, the Oilers missed the Stanley Cup playoffs, McDavid played really well. But as per his interview with GQ, he was not satisfied with the team. When asked about whether he aspired to follow, “LeBron James approach and hold the management’s feet to the fire a little bit? The NHL star gave a startling answer.

McDavid promptly stated, “You see that a lot less in hockey, guys moving around, and guys joining teams. It’s just because the salary cap is so tight in hockey. You can’t just go out and buy players and make a super team, because it’s so hard to do that. The salary cap doesn’t allow it. We have a much smaller salary cap than the NBA, and they only have 12 on a roster”.

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Definitely, as per his accordance, hockey is more “tight” than basketball, in terms of scheduling the game or even the remuneration. But as the interview proceeded, the Oilers’ icon shared how he loved being around known faces. In fact, he loved the strategy of the Oilers of not changing or trading players every season and giving them time to get familiar and to settle with each other.

Read More – Connor McDavid Overcomes Wayne Gretzky’s Never-Heard-Before NHL Feat and Now Sets His Sight at Breaking the All-Time Record

Evidently, McDavid was only 19 when he led the Oilers to the Stanley Cup playoffs after a hiatus of 11 years. Considered the “exceptional player” by Hockey Canada, the team’s captain was drafted first overall by the Oilers in 2015, named the NHL’s MVP in 2017 upon bringing the Oilers back to the playoffs, and signed a $100 million contract.

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However, though he begged to differ with the norms of his team, McDavid has remained Oilers for more than 7 years now. And fans hope that he will remain so. What are your views?

Watch This Story – “You Can’t Just Go Out and Buy Players” When NHL Superstar Connor McDavid Raises Concerns Over Pay Disparity Compared to NBA.

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Written by:

Soumili Chatterjee

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Soumili Chatterjee is a US Sports author for EssentiallySports. She secured her bachelor’s and master's degree in English literature from the University of Calcutta. After being a technical and blog writer for nearly three years, it was her ardent love for sports that steered her career toward the sports industry.
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Edited by:

Anupama Ghosh