In a pair of new interviews, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman believes Connor McDavid's next contract will surprise fans for one specific reason. The contract saga between the Edmonton Oilers and Connor McDavid continues as negotiations are still ongoing and in the early stages. Throughout the process various insiders have given different opinions on how the situation will play out giving a massive range of outcomes for what might happen between the Oilers and Connor McDavid However, to this point each insider and analyst has continued to change their thoughts and opinions based on new information coming out. Today, that has changed as Elliotte Friedman has given a concrete prediction of what he believes will be the outcome of the McDavid contract saga. <h3>Elliotte Friedman Makes A Surprising Prediction About Connor McDavid's Next Contract</h3> First, Friedman spoke on <a href='https://www.sportsnet.ca/podcasts/32-thoughts/' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>The 32 Thoughts Podcast</a> and indicated that he fully expects McDavid to take a discount for a surprisingly low salary to stick around in Edmonton. <div align='center' class='pl20 pr20'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/nhl_watcher/status/1970147094456328530'><div style='border:1px solid #CCCCCC;border-radius:10px;padding:20px;width:300px;'>Loading from Twitter ...</div></a></blockquote></div> Then, Friedman says to compensate for him taking less money McDavid will likely demand a shorter contract length. <div align='center' class='pl20 pr20'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/fan590/status/1970165535166853233'><div style='border:1px solid #CCCCCC;border-radius:10px;padding:20px;width:300px;'>Loading from Twitter ...</div></a></blockquote></div> This would follow along similarly to Auston Matthews who took a short-term deal but did also take a major pay cut compared to what many fans expected. This would allow the Oilers to keep McDavid and have more flexibility to contend fully still. On the flip side, McDavid wouldn't have to worry about the long-term outlook of the Oilers roster as he could just hit free agency again in a few seasons if things start to go bad. As this situation continues to play out, it will be interesting to see if Friedman's prediction has to change or if it comes true.