Connor McDavid’s contract standstill raising eyebrows across NHL as Oilers star heads into final year of deal

Connor McDavid is entering the final season of his contract with Edmonton Oilers, and there is still no clarity in his long -term future. With each passing day, the best hockey player in the world approaches a step to become a free agent and all other teams in Nhl is taking note.

McDavid has a year in an eight -year agreement that has an AAV of $ 12.5 million. July 1 arrived and left without McDavid signing an extension with the oilers, and both parties do not yet have to reach an agreement.

Above Last episode of podcast “32 thoughts”Sportsnet Insider Elliotte Friedman said he was “surprised” that there was no longer an extension in his place. Apparently, the rest of the Nhl It feels the same way, because the other 31 teams begin to evaluate their possibilities for making the greatest free agent in the history of the league.

“I think the most important thing they have done their words, or their actions, have other teams that ask:” Is it real?

McDavid’s next contract will almost make him the best paid player in NHL history, so most teams should clean up some heading space to sign it, if it goes so far. Would the teams be willing to move in the 2025-26 season that McDavid established them to land next summer?

“If you think you have the opportunity for him or you want to have a chance to him, you have to ensure -you are cleansed,” said Friedman.

In a Interview with Ryan Rishaug de Tsn Earlier this week, McDavid wondered about his level of confidence in Oilers’ ability to win the Stanley Cup. The captain of Edmonton said he has a lot of faith in the team, but he remained without obligation when it was his long -term plans.

“My confidence in this team this year has never been higher. That’s what I can say about it,” he said. “Listen, someone has a crystal ball and knows what two years, three years, four years, five or anything [will look like]? No one has a crystal ball. No one knows what this will look like. Belief is not the problem, not that there is a problem. “

The words “this year” seem to be doing a lot of work there. What about the line? McDavid do you think the Oilers office is able to surround it with the talent needed to win the final hockey prize? After two defeats from the Stanley Cup, McDavid was obsessed with winning his first championship.

“Connor McDavid, I have been told several people after this second loss, it has become more fanatic to win,” said Friedman. “Everything he cared about was earning earlier. Now he is in another stratosphere in this regard.”

Edmonton’s wrong steps

It would be difficult to blame McDavid to lose faith in the direction after his movements last summer. Edmonton rejected the opportunity to combine sheets of offer perfectly reasonable to current players Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg, which allowed them to become St. Louis Blues.

Holloway, 23, was second in the team in the goals (26) and the third in points (63). Broberg launched a first four -place potential on the blue line and contributed 29 points to the offensive end.

With Holloway and Broberg missing, Edmonton brought Jeff Skinner and Viktor Arvidsson, two movements that fell. Neither players provided a great deal of reliable depth scoring, and Skinner was a healthy scratch for most playoffs.

Perhaps the brightest problem that Oilers have faced over the last two years has been their inability to stop the puck with any coherence, especially when it matters more. In 2024-25, Edmonton chose to shoot with the tandem of Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard. These two were from pedestrians to the average of the regular season and did not improve the playoffs. Skinner and Pickard were combined to allow 5.36 goals above average as they publish a .882 savings percentage for a natural trick.

With players like McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Evan Bouchard at the top of the program, Edmonton can overcome his depth and concern in the regular season, and even for most of the later season. However, when the oilers have faced the impressive depth of the Florida panthers, they have been short both.

McDavid’s decision

All conversations could be annoying in a matter of hours, days or weeks. McDavid could sign an extension with the oilers and remain the piece of the cornerstone of this franchise over the coming years. After all, Edmonton has reached the final in years ago, and have been increasingly different plays from a different result. Many teams would like to change places with the oilers.

That said, the more these negotiations are crawling, the more it seems that McDavid causes the team to show that it has a real long -term view for the containment of the Stanley Cup. If the oilers cannot fix the same problems that have affected them throughout the McDavid career, there will be 31 teams that make the itch to make their pitch next July.