NHL Notebook: Oilers re-sign Connor McDavid and Jake Walman

Speculation surrounding the best player in the world will stop – for now.

On Monday afternoon, numerous sources reported that Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers agreed to a two-year deal worth $12.5 million.

McDavid is undoubtedly the best player in hockey, as he just registered his eighth triple-digit season in just 10 seasons. He also took a significant pay cut, as the annual average of $12.5 million matches what he made on his previous contract.

That said, when he signed his eight-year deal back in July 2017, it was worth 15.72% of the salary cap, while his $12.5 million cap hit on his most recent deal takes up just 12.02% of the Oilers’ cap space.

It’s clear that McDavid wants to win the Stanley Cup with the Oilers, especially after back-to-back losses in the Stanley Cup Finals to the Florida Panthers.

So what did the Oilers do with the savings? They also signed defenceman Jake Walman to an extension worth $7 million annually over seven years.. While Walman is a relatively unknown defender, he put up 40 points in 65 games last season between the San Jose Sharks and the Oilers.

Logan Cooley turns down contract extension

One player who didn’t sign an extension on Monday is Utah Mammoth forward Logan Cooley. Frank Seravalli reported that the 21-year-old Pittsburgher declined an eight-year deal that would have paid him $9.6 million annually.

Drafted third overall in the 2022 draft by the Arizona Coyotes, he made his National Hockey League debut in 2023-24, the final season the Coyotes were around, and scored 20 goals and 44 points in 82 games. Last season with the Utah Hockey Club (now called the Mammoth), Cooley scored a career-high 25 goals and 65 points in 75 games.

The 2025-26 season is Cooley’s final season on his three-year entry-level contract. As of now, he’ll enter the 2026 off-season as a restricted free agent.

Conor Sheary signs one-year deal

Conor Sheary has found a new home, as the New York Rangers converted his professional tryout to a one-year deal worth $775,000.

In his first two NHL seasons, Sheary won back-to-back Stanley Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016 and 2017. The 2016-17 season was his best season to date, as he scored 23 goals and 53 points in 61 games.The last time Sheary had what could be considered a good season was in 2022-23 with the Washington Capitals, as he scored 15 goals and 37 points in 82 games.

He followed that up with just four goals and 15 points in 2023-24 with the Tampa Bay Lightning, before playing just five NHL games in 2024-25.

Fallout from the Battle of Florida

Speaking of the Lightning, the fallout from the most recent Battle of Florida has come.

The Florida Panthers smashed the Lightning 7-0 on Oct. 4, but all the talk was surrounding the chipiness of the game. In total, the two teams combined for 322 penalty minutes, with the Panthers getting a whopping 20 power play opportunities.

This feud has been bubbling for years; it’s the NHL’s version of the Hatfields and McCoys. The most recent flare-up was due to former Calgary Flame A.J. Greer roughing up Brandon Hagel in Oct. 2’s game, leading to a fine.

Well, on Oct. 4, J.J. Moser was suspended for two games for boarding Jesper Boqvist, while Scott Sabourin was suspended for four games for roughing up Aaron Ekblad. The Lightning were also fined $100,000, while Lightning head coach Jon Cooper was fined $25,000.

The two teams match up for the first time on Nov. 15 in Sunrise.