Biography & Early Wealth Journey

McDavid said the contract, which will kick in after this season, was "about winning." And it's true—he left nearly $53 million on the table to give the Oilers room to make other moves to strengthen the roster. The Oilers have made the playoffs four years in a row and lost in the Stanley Cup Finals in the past two seasons.

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Under the NHL's collective bargaining agreement, a player can sign for a maximum of 20% of the salary cap. For the upcoming season, that number is $95.5 million, meaning a star could max out at $19.1 million.

Primary Income Streams & Multi-Million Contracts

However, the NHL salary cap continues to increase, so a longer contract would typically increase further down the line. A player of McDavid's stature usually signs a long-term deal of six to eight years. If McDavid signed for eight years with that $19.1 million average annual value as a barometer, he'd ink a deal worth $152.8 million.

That's $6.6 million per year between a max contract and what McDavid actually signed for. Over eight years, that's $52.8 million that he's forgoing.

At first glance, it's a wonderful show of loyalty from McDavid. He's taking a hometown discount so the team can improve around him. But it's also likely a calculated move on his part. He's only committed to the team until 2028. He'll be 31 when that deal ends, and assuming he's still a high-level player, he could command another long-term deal. The salary cap will have risen even more by then, so 20% of the salary cap would probably be closer to $25 million per year.

To date, McDavid has made $95,625,000 in his NHL career, per Spotrac. He'll reach nine figures during this season. He's not exactly hurting for money—but he is hurting for a championship. And he's hoping this trade-off is worth it.

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