Connor McDavid Contract Standoff With Edmonton Oilers Is Starting To Get Ugly

Friday was the first time that McDavid mentioned the possibility of playing out the final year of his $12.5 million annual average value contract. McDavid understands that his next contract will need to be with the organization that gives him the best chance to realize his Stanley Cup dreams.

That team might not be the Oilers despite their appearances in back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals. It sounds like McDavid is seeking assurances about the Oilers’ long-term viability as Stanley Cup contenders.

Hence, the hesitation. If McDavid really believed in the direction of the Oilers, the ink would’ve dried on an extension months ago. Now, as training camp dawns, the Oilers and their captain are at an impasse.

Numbers haven’t been tossed around by McDavid’s agent, Judd Moldaver, and Oilers general manager Stan Bowman. There’s been no contact, just stagnation.

McDavid could very well choose to play out the entirety of the 2025-26 regular season and playoffs without an extension before hitting unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2026.

Should McDavid reach free agency, there will be no shortage of teams vying for his signature. He would be able to name his price and tie his future to the team that he believes can compete for Stanley Cup titles for years to come.

Some hockey analysts have suggested that McDavid should seek a short-term, even a one-year extension.

“If I was him, I would bridge myself into a short deal,” TSN analyst Jamie McLennan said last Tuesday. “Like, I’m talking (about) a one or two-year deal. Because that’s when you’re through into the big money. What I mean by that is – he could pay himself $24 million a year and not have that hurt the team. He gives himself the flexibility to go ‘it’s not working out here and I’m going to move on.’” 

But why would McDavid sign a two-year pact to remain with the Oilers to wait and see? If McDavid’s priority is winning and he believes that Edmonton’s window is closing, there’s no way that he would delay free agency by an additional two years.

Right now, McDavid is in his prime years at age 28. He will turn 29 on Jan 13. He’s a three-time Hart Trophy winner, five-time Art Ross Trophy recipient and has averaged 139.2 points per 82 games over the past five seasons. He knows the attention and value that he would command on the open market.

Unless all this is posturing to make Bowman and the Oilers feel the heat to give him the exact contract extension that he desires, McDavid is beginning to sound like he has free agency on his mind.

Time to buckle up, Oilers nation.