On July 5, Edmonton Oilers superstar center Connor McDavid officially became the highest-paid player in the NHL by signing an eight-year, $100 million contract extension that kicks in after next season.
Considering McDavid won the Hart Trophy at age 20 and, if you adjust for era, is on a similar scoring path as Sidney Crosby, Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux, it could be argued that the Oilers came out winners, despite that eye-popping figure. They will probably have enough cap space to keep young forward Leon Draisaitl and won't have to think about losing the league's most dominant player until 2025-26.
By setting a new benchmark, McDavid's contract changes the game. The league's top players and their agents now have a number for which to aim, and teams will have incentive to push for more revenue knowing the price to keep top talent just went up.
Only Crosby can argue that his game is on par with McDavid's, and Sid is under contract until 2024-25. But that doesn't mean other superstars won't try to beat McDavid's $12.5 million average annual value. Here are six players who could be in line soon to challenge McDavid's deal:
John Tavares, C, New York Islanders
Status: UFA after 2017-18
The open market gives Tavares more leverage than McDavid had as a restricted free agent. And if the Islanders star opts to become a free agent, he will have even more interest than Steven Stamkos did last offseason when Stamkos was set to become a UFA. Tavares has been more healthy than Stamkos, missing just eight games in the past three seasons, and during that span, only Patrick Kane, Crosby, Jamie Benn and Nicklas Backstrom have more than Tavares' 222 points.
Not to mention that Tavares has become a much better two-way player than he has often been given credit for, ranking 22nd among all skaters in relative Corsi percentage (plus-4.5 percent) since 2014-15. He has also proved to be an elite playoff performer, with 22 points in 24 games.
Tavares has the type of talent that could elevate a good team to being a Stanley Cup favorite. If he reaches free agency after this season instead of signing a new deal with the Isles, there's a good chance he tops McDavid's contract.
Auston Matthews, C, Toronto Maple Leafs
Status: RFA after 2018-19
Only a handful of rookie seasons have ever been as good as Matthews' 2016-17 campaign. In fact, since 2005-06, only Alex Ovechkin scored more goals in his rookie campaign than Matthews, the Maple Leafs' No. 1 overall pick. Only Ovechkin and Crosby topped his 8.2 point shares, which is a Hockey Reference advanced stat that adjusts scoring to estimate how many standings points a player's performance was worth.
Most rookies struggle with the all-around game even if they put up impressive point totals, but that was not the case for Matthews, who managed an outstanding 52.2 Corsi for percentage. His skill set is the perfect combination of determination, strength, hockey IQ and scoring touch. And Matthews is set up to succeed with a group of other young, gifted players around him.
The Leafs would be wise to lock up Matthews to an extension as soon as possible. If they wait until he becomes an RFA and he improves from his 69-point rookie season, Matthews could be looking at a McDavid-like payday or better.
Jack Eichel, C, Buffalo Sabres
Status: RFA after 2017-18
The Sabres are probably knocking down Eichel's door to sign a long-term contract this offseason, because they know a huge campaign could be on the way. Despite an early-season injury, a very weak surrounding cast and a coach who butted heads with him, Eichel still scored 0.93 points per game in 2015-16, the fourth-best rate in the NHL of players under age 21. He also put the most shots on goal (4.08 per game) of any player in the league.
New GM Jason Botterill has already made big improvements to the Sabres' defense corps, which could mean more opportunities for Eichel to score. Given his powerful skating, magnificent shot and elite playmaking skill, there's a good chance he'll be at the top of the NHL in scoring in 2017-18, right next to McDavid. If that happens, Eichel might not have a case for getting more than McDavid, but he might argue that his value to the organization is very similar to that of Edmonton's franchise player.
Tyler Seguin, C, Dallas Stars
Status: UFA after 2018-19
When Seguin approaches free agency in two years, he won't just be looking at compensation for his 306 points in 305 games as a Star, but also for how he single-handedly turned around a struggling franchise. Only Crosby, Patrick Kane, Evgeni Malkin and Seguin's linemate Jamie Benn have higher points-per-game marks than the former Bruin during the past four seasons. Benn's production has jumped from 0.80 points per game before Seguin arrived to more than 0.90 every season since Dallas' trade with Boston.
Given that the salary cap could go up during the next two seasons, Seguin might be able to clear more than $12.5 million per year if he continues to play dominant hockey. And if he leads the Stars deep into the playoffs -- which is very possible, considering Dallas finally has a quality goaltender in Ben Bishop and signed winger Alexander Radulov -- Seguin would nearly be a lock to pass McDavid's AAV.
Erik Karlsson, D, Ottawa Senators
Status: UFA after 2018-19
Rarely do defensemen get paid like top centers, but Karlsson isn't your run-of-the-mill No. 1 defenseman. During the past four seasons, he has registered the second-most assists in the NHL for a player at any position and has one fewer point than Alex Ovechkin. That's while taking on the league's best opposing forwards on a nightly basis.
Before this past postseason, there were still some in the hockey world holding onto the notion that Karlsson was a one-dimensional player. But that narrative died as the Swedish blueliner dragged his team to the Eastern Conference final and gave the eventual Cup winners just about all they could handle. When Karlsson was on the ice during the playoffs, the Senators outscored opponents 23-11 and took 53.4 percent of the total shots at even strength. There's a good argument to be made that he is the most valuable player to his team in the NHL behind only McDavid and Crosby.
Karlsson can also argue that past offensive defensemen such as Nicklas Lidstrom have continued to play at an elite level deep into their 30s, which is different from forwards, whose production often peaks in their mid-20s.
Ottawa must make Karlsson a Senator for life, and the only way to do so might be by clearing $12.5 million in AAV.
Drew Doughty, D, Los Angeles Kings
Status: UFA after 2018-19
Because Doughty does not score at a similar rate to Karlsson, he might have a more difficult time arguing he deserves dollars in the same range as elite forwards. However, he has logged the most ice time in the NHL during the past three seasons combined, led the Kings to two Stanley Cups and won the Norris Trophy.
Doughty's numbers back up his accomplishments. He has an incredible 57.0 on-ice Corsi for percentage and has been on the ice for only 1.72 goals against at even strength during the past three seasons (best among defensemen with 3,500 minutes). Those marks go along with a 55.9 goals-for percentage while matching up against the best of the best in the Western Conference.
Doughty will be 29 by the time a new deal would kick in, so he might be looking at a higher cap hit, but shorter term than McDavid's deal. He has played 75 games or more every season of his career, meaning durability shouldn't be a factor.