Unpacking Oilers’ Decision to Issue Statement on McDavid Suspension

Most anticipated that McDavid would face supplemental discipline, but that a suspension would only be for one game, or at most two if the NHL wanted to keep him out of Thursday’s rematch between the Oilers and Canucks. When it was announced on Monday that McDavid would miss three games, the reactions in Oil Country ranged from shock to anger.

Officiating Has Long Been an Issue

Ever since McDavid began his NHL career in 2015, Edmonton has been crying foul that opponents are getting away with murder against its superstar, only to see the NHL do next to nothing to protect the Face of the League. But now, when McDavid finally stands up for himself and takes matters into his own hands, the NHL suddenly decides to get tough? You could see how this would go over like a lead balloon in Oil Country.

Even so, the act of issuing a statement is highly unusual. Players get suspended all the time; their teams are unhappy about it 100% of the time; but almost never does a team issue an official condemnation over said player’s suspension.

Mixed Reactions to Statement

As one would guess, Edmonton’s statement was cheered by Oilers fans and jeered by supporters of other teams. Those experienced with the practices of NHL front offices as well as the field of public relations found it performative, over-the-top, and a bit embarrassing for the franchise. Reid Wilkins of Edmonton Sports Talk Radio, a widely respected and highly objective host that has been around the Oilers for years, called the statement “silly”.

So why did the Oilers do it? Wilkins speculated that many within the Oilers organization wouldn’t have been in favour of using a statement, and that the order came down from the very top. That is to say, the statement is no more than Oilers owner Darryl Katz throwing a bit of a fit.

But there may be more to it than that. McDavid has likely never been particularly pleased with the state of officiating in the NHL, but his actions not only in Vancouver, but elsewhere of late, suggest a player that’s reached his boiling point.

He’s also, as you may have heard, due to hit free agency at the end of the 2025-26 season. That means the Oilers will absolutely want to get him signed to a long-term extension this coming offseason.

While there has always been a reasonable degree of confidence that McDavid will be an Oiler for many years to come – particularly after his best bud Leon Draisaitl signed an extension last summer that will keep the German centre under contract with the Oilers through 2032-33 – no one is counting those chickens just yet, nor should they be. Just recently, Greg Wyshnyski got people talking when the ESPN Senior Hockey Writer said he doesn’t necessarily believe that the Draisaitl deal means McDavid will re-sign with Edmonton.

Edmonton’s NHL franchise will have to pull out all the stops to ensure it gets McDavid’s signature on a new contract. Even a blatantly performative gesture like issuing a statement that leaves many rolling their eyes could go a long way to that end, simply by showing McDavid they’ve got his back. Perhaps moreover, pro athletes are proven to have a long memory when they feel their team doesn’t support them, even in trivial circumstances.

It’s not a stretch to suggest that the end game to every little thing the Oilers do is keeping McDavid around for the long term. Even a two-sentence statement.