Connor McDavid expected to sign seven-year extension with Oilers

Since Monday afternoon, it’s been a whirlwind of talk around Oilersnation with the impending news that Mike Babcock will be hired, provided there is no issues with the NHLPA. Babcock hasn’t been behind an NHL bench since November 2019, when he was fired by the Toronto Maple Leafs.

He was hired briefly by the Columbus Blue Jackets, but never coached a game, after making younger players uncomfortable by looking through their phones, prompting NHLPA involvement.

The insiders have all said that the Oilers leadership group met with Babcock and don’t have objections to the former Stanley Cup winner and two-time Olympic gold medallist.

“You empower to get players involved, that’s the way of the future,” said Stauffer.

“It’s already been occurring for years in the NBA. Josh Allen, was he part of the selection process Terry Pegula with the Buffalo Bills? I bet he was. When you empower the players, I think you get greater conviction from them. 

“The players have never been a bigger part of the partnership of the league. From ownership to management to the players, everybody’s 100 per cent with Mike Babcock.” 

McDavid, meanwhile, is coming off his fifth Ted Lindsay award as the league’s best player, as voted on by the players. Next season he will enter a two-year, $12.5 million per year extension — one that caught many by surprise when it as signed ahead of last season.

Stauffer didn’t divulge any potential contract details, but it’s safe to assume it’ll be a noticable raise from his two-year extension.