Hello Oil Country, we are back today on the topic of Connor McDavid, his contract status and what it means for his future as an Edmonton Oiler. Is it getting annoying yet?
Recently, Connor McDavid sat down with Elliotte Friedman and Kyle Bukauskas on the 32 Thoughts: The Podcast, to discuss his contract extension with the Oilers and more. McDavid is set to be listed as an Unrestricted Free Agent (UFA) at the end of the 2025–26 season and that means that he will have the option to freely negotiate and sign with any team in the National Hockey League without restrictions or compensation owed to their previous team.
The most important details
The interview starts off with Bukauskas asking McDavid, “how are you feeling about everything?” In regards to what he’s thinking and what could be coming, here is what McDavid had to say:
I feel good. I feel focused on the year. My body feels good, I’m excited to get going, I’m excited to get camp going and getting into the routine of things.
As far as all the other things go, I’m not focused on it. Playing is the easy part, so we’re getting to the easy part here.
Friedman then jumped right into it by asking, “Has anything changed? Should we be prepared for a signing in the near future or anything like that?” McDavid replied:
Uh, nothing’s changed as of now. As I said all along, I’m going to take my time with it and I still intend to do that.
It’s a big decision. It’s not something I take lightly or my family takes lightly. Everything in my life has been building to, be here and be in this position and be in this moment. It’s not something that I’m going to just dream up and decide, I’m going to think it over and we have been and will continue to do so.
McDavid then goes on to say that he kind of assumed that people thought things were going to happen and it just goes to show that not everybody knows exactly what’s going on.
My wife and I obviously love being here in Edmonton and we have every intention as I said to win here in Edmonton and I have all the faith in the world in this 2025–26 season.
Beyond that, still remains to be seen, we have time. It’s our decision basically, we’ve earned that, and we’re going to take our time with it.
To finish the short interview, McDavid mentions that all of the pieces are here, for the 2025–26 season. He believes that it is going to be a feeling. When the time is right and when the moment is right, it is going to be a feeling. McDavid is just excited to get the season going and so am I.
What Stan Bowman had to say
Stan Bowman, the current General Manager of the Edmonton Oilers was interviewed yesterday by the media, and here is what he had to say when asked about Connor McDavid and his future with the team.
I wouldn’t say it’s a sales pitch as much as it’s just a dialogue when he has questions. I don’t want to get into what we talk about. It’s just more free flowing conversations and we can talk about hockey or what’s on his mind.
He’s got a real good pulse on the team as well, as the leader and the captain. I think he has thoughts on things and I want to understand that, so that we can work together on it. The conversation goes in a bunch of different directions usually.
A reporter went on to ask if the conversations were more about the current team and future team and Stan Bowman had this to say:
It’s a blend of that. He does ask me about where I envision things, so that’s a part of it.
We talked about this year too. We talked about what we did well last year, what we think we could change or should change. It’s not limited to just one thing, but it does definitely touch on the future.
Bowman was then asked how confident he was that he’ll get something done with McDavid and what gives him that confidence. This was his reply;
I just go by what Connor says, which is that he wants nothing more than to win in Edmonton. So I take him at his word.
He’s going through his own process and I think that you have to understand that and respect it, and I do. When he’s ready, he’ll be ready.
He’s been very consistent in what he’s said to the media and myself, so we just go with it from there.
The next point of discussion in regards to McDavid was the cap rising over the next few seasons and what that means for his contract and signing potentially, a long term deal.
When I’ve talked with Connor, I’ve never gotten the impression that he’s really focused on money.
He’s all about winning. He never talks about needing to make this much money.
In regards to the cap, he would be in a better position to answer that one than me.
There is definitely more that I can go into in regards to McDavid and what’s next, but I believe that these are all the important topics that are worth discussing.
What’s next for Connor McDavid?
Now it’s time for me to look at what could be next for McDavid and what his future could look like as an Oiler, if he decides to re-sign.
I know that some of Oil Country is on edge worrying about if McDavid is going to re-sign, while others are more focused on how much that the team is going to sign him for and how long that contract extension will be. After listening to that interview and the more that I think about it, I personally think that Connor McDavid is only going to sign for two years at around $17M or $18M. If I leave all of my cards on the table, the four years at $16M talk is also a possibility as well.
McDavid is currently 28-years-old and is definitely in the prime of his career. Why there has been no ink to paper or anything in that regard yet is because McDavid is truly thinking about his future and what more he can accomplish before the end of his career. He wants to win in Edmonton, but can he win in Edmonton? That is the question that he is most likely asking himself the most. I understand that he said that all of the pieces are in place for this upcoming season, and they may be, but do the Oilers really have everything they need to climb to the top and finally win the Stanley Cup?
Connor McDavid is going to re-sign with the Oilers, but because there are more questions than answers right now, it is undetermined how long he is going to or wants to stay with the Oilers for.
Do the Edmonton Oilers have what it takes in 2025–26?
With the 2025–26 preseason only a few days away, it’s time to ask if the Edmonton Oilers have what it takes to repeat the last two seasons and make it back to the Stanley Cup Final for the third consecutive year.
If McDavid has a lot of fire in his eyes heading into the upcoming campaign, who knows what this season could bring for the Oilers and McDavid’s point total. Is this the season where he hits 50 goals again? Does he hit 100 assists again? Those are questions that no one will be able to answer until the season is over.
With Zach Hyman expected to miss the start of the season and a few other players traded to new teams, it is honestly hard to say if the Oilers got better, or if they got worse and even if they will be able to make it far in the postseason again. If they change up some of their systems and everyone stays healthy, the possibility of Edmonton making it back to the Stanley Cup Final, could definitely happen.
Right now, we look at the preseason and watch how everyone performs and how they look heading into the 2025–26 campaign. At the moment, everything is to be determined. But aren’t you glad that hockey season is finally back?
Do we share the same thoughts? What do you have to say about Connor McDavid and his contract circumstances? Let me know in the comments below.
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