Edmonton Oilers Captain Connor McDavid is entering the eighth and final year of his contract. The NHL superstar could potentially get one of the biggest deals in NHL history; however, recent rumours have indicated that McDavid may be looking for a short-term deal. Money will not be an issue for McDavid, as every NHL team would be willing to hand him a blank cheque.
At this point, it seems as though he is willing to re-sign in Edmonton, but he has stated that his main priority is to win. Looking at the current roster of the Oilers, a short-term deal makes perfect sense for McDavid and the Oilers.
How the current core contracts line up
The Oilers franchise cannot complain if McDavid is only willing to sign a shorter deal. He is easily the best player in the league, and any team would be blessed to have him. Say McDavid signs a four-year deal, this lines up the Oilers to be Stanley Cup contenders for the next five years. Here is a list of how the core player contracts would look:
- Draisaitl UFA 2033
- McDavid UFA 2030
- Nurse UFA 2030
- Nugent-Hopkins UFA 2029
- Bouchard UFA 2029
- Hyman UFA 2028
At the moment, the core roster is locked up besides McDavid. If the Oilers can manage to close a deal with him, it would create a perfect vision for success in the near future. The main guys would all get multiple chances to win the Stanley Cup, while young guns like Matt Savoie and Isaac Howard would get to learn from one of the best forward cores in the NHL.
It is likely that after the next five years, the Oilers’ chances of winning the Stanley Cup will begin to decline significantly. Players like Hyman, Nugent-Hopkins, and Nurse will be reaching the end of their careers, while Mattias Ekholm will be retired. Draisaitl will remain with the Oilers long term, but the team will likely enter another rebuild after a five-year window. Management could choose to build around Draisaitl or attempt to trade him for a valuable trade package. What do you think will happen with the Oilers after five years?
Communication is key
If McDavid chooses to sign a short-term deal, he will hold all of the power moving forward. He could leave in free agency after his next deal, leaving the Oilers in a vulnerable position. Communication between the management team and McDavid will be of the utmost importance as the deal comes to an end. Currently, there have been a lot of reports stating how the Oilers and McDavid are in consistent contract talks. This will be something that must continue in the future if McDavid signs a short-term contract.
Management must also be prepared for the unpredictable. Players may claim to intend to re-sign, although they reserve the right to change their minds at any time. This has occurred with many players in the past, including Johnny Gaudreau, who was reportedly going to re-sign with the Calgary Flames but ultimately signed with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Moments like these fall on the general manager for responsibility. Contract talks need to happen at an earlier moment, with a decision being made at a respectable time. This way, the team can move forward with no distractions.
This is not a worry at the moment for the Oilers management, which is an extremely positive sign for the team and McDavid.
Short-term or long-term?
The most significant topic in the McDavid contract discussions is whether it should be a short-term or long-term deal. Both sides come with benefits and provide the Oilers with a winning window. As mentioned before, if McDavid signs a four-year deal, the Oilers will have about five years of serious chances at a Stanley Cup. Furthermore, there are even more benefits if McDavid signs a long-term contract.
Let’s take a look a some of them.
Playing his whole career as an Oiler
If McDavid were to sign a long-term deal, he would potentially play his entire NHL career as an Edmonton Oiler. He would be alongside Wayne Gretzky for the top two Oilers of all time (Gretzky would still be number one unless McDavid wins three Stanley Cups as an Oiler). With this, his number will instantly be retired in Oil Country and potentially across the entire NHL.
If McDavid signs an eight-year extension, one can only hope that he will win at least one Stanley Cup. He would join the current likes of Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon in driving their team to the ultimate goal.
McDavid and Draisaitl would be the best NHL duo in history
Teammate Leon Draisaitl has already been locked up long-term by the Oilers. If McDavid joins him, they would have a chance to play alongside each other for their entire careers. In my opinion, they would become the greatest duo in NHL history, as no one else matches up to them skill-wise.
Both already have a wide range of NHL awards, and they will finally get the chance to represent their nation at the 2026 Olympic Games in Italy. After that, all that is left to accomplish is winning the Stanley Cup.
Final thoughts
All in all, the best-case scenario is for the Oilers to sign McDavid long-term. It allows him to play his entire career as an Edmonton Oiler and retire alongside Draisaitl. In the big picture, signing him is the main priority. It does not matter whether it is short-term or long-term. Just hand him a blank cheque and go chase that Stanley Cup. The Oilers will be another top Cup contender this year as the season looms closer. The season begins with a bang as the Oilers take on the Calgary Flames in their home opener on October 8th.
Up Next: Hot takes for the 2025–2026 Edmonton Oilers
2 Comments