If you’ve been losing sleep over Connor McDavid’s future in Edmonton as have we all a little, you can probably relax. At least, that’s the message coming from one of the most plugged-in voices in Edmonton Oilers hockey.
Bob Stauffer came out this week with a prediction that should put a lot of fans at ease. According to him, when McDavid’s current deal runs out, the max term is exactly what’s coming next.
Connor McDavid’s next contract will reportedly be the max
McDavid came into the league as the #1 overall pick in the 2015 draft and played out his entry-level deal before the Oilers moved quickly to lock him up long-term. On July 5, 2017, he signed an eight-year, $100M deal at $12.5M per season, one of the richest contracts in NHL history at the time. He carried that all the way through the 2025–26 season.
Then came the move that really raised eyebrows. Rather than cashing in on the open market where he could have commanded north of $17M a year (Kirill Kaprizov just set the going rate at $17M AAV), McDavid signed a 2-year, $25M extension in October 2025. Same cap hit as before at $12.5M a season. Well below market. It starts in 2026–27, runs through 2027–28.
GM Stan Bowman confirmed it plainly, “That was what Connor wanted. It’s not like we made a pitch that he should sign for that amount.”
The two-year contract was always seen as a bridge. McDavid wanted to see where the Oilers were heading before locking in long-term. After back-to-back Stanley Cup Final appearances, and now a first-round exit in 2026, the pressure on Edmonton’s organization to get things right has never been higher.
But here’s what Stauffer is essentially saying. When that bridge deal expires after 2027–28, McDavid isn’t going anywhere.
“I don’t think there’s anybody more committed to Edmonton than Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl,” Stauffer said on Sportsnet 590 The FAN. “I expect the next contract that Connor McDavid signs to be a seven-year extension. And I remind your viewers that that’s the max term length, carrying forward here, with the little adjustment made to the CBA. Starting in ’27, it will be a seven-year extension.”
Stauffer points to player empowerment and ownership
Stauffer then pointed to a broader change in how modern sports franchises operate and how the Oilers are leaning into it. He even drew a comparison to the NFL to make the point.
“You empower the players to be involved in key decisions, that’s the way of the future. It’s already been occurring for years in the NBA. Josh Allen, was he part of the selection process with the coach, with Terry Pegula, with the Buffalo Bills? I bet you he was. And when you empower the players, I think you end up getting greater conviction from them,” he said.
If McDavid signs a seven-year max deal starting in 2028–29, he’d be locked in through the 2034–35 season when he’d be 38 years old.
The big unknown, of course, is the dollar figure. At $12.5M, McDavid has been one of the most underpaid stars in professional sports for nearly a decade. The next deal, whenever and whatever it is, will almost certainly reflect his actual market value. The cap is rising and there’s no world in which McDavid signs below $20M AAV on a long-term deal. If anything, it’ll set a new ceiling for the league.
And if Stauffer’s right, and we feel like he is, McDavid’s going to be in Edmonton for a very, very long time.
Photo by Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire
