Oilers Management Not Worried About Looming McDavid Contract Negotiations

The Edmonton Oilers will be trying to push for a Stanley Cup after coming up just short for the last two seasons, and while they are still in a good spot to push for a championship after some changes this offseason, the looming contract negotiations with Connor McDavid, whose contract expires after the 2025-26 season, could prove to be a distraction if it isn’t done soon. However, it doesn’t sound like the Oilers are concerned.

On a recent episode of Oilers Now with Bob Stauffer, President and CEO of the Oilers, Jeff Jackson, joined the podcast and was asked a few questions about where things stand between the two sides. Stauffer quickly commented that he wasn’t worried about a deal getting done, and said fans shouldn’t worry either. Jackson also gave a positive response that put fans at ease, stating that they weren’t nervous about getting a deal done.

“I know there are sort of lots of commentary on the fact that Connor is not yet signed and why he hasn’t signed yet,” Jackson said. “Stan [Bowman] and I, and Daryl Katz and the rest of the management group, we don’t feel that way, we’re not nervous about it. Connor’s been an Oiler for 10 years. He’s done a lot of playing in Edmonton and living in Edmonton. He’s been very public about his desire to win, and that’s sort of driving his decision-making.”

McDavid made some headlines at the Team Canada Orientation camp when he was asked about the pending negotiations with the Oilers, and seemed to have the same answer as he did right after the season ended, which was that he was in no rush to get a deal done.

It was revealed that he was comfortable entering the 2025-26 season without an extension, but he also claimed he didn’t want it to be a distraction for the rest of the team.

McDavid’s Expected to Become Highest-Paid Player

McDavid is coming off another solid offensive campaign last season, where he scored 26 goals and added 74 assists for 100 points through 67 games. He also had an impressive playoff showing, scoring seven goals and adding 26 assists for 33 points through 22 games. He hit the 1000-point plateau last season, and he has reached a total of 1082 points through 712 games in his career, which comes out to a 1.52 points-per-game average.

He is entering the final season of an eight-year contract that has a $12,500,000 cap hit, and he is expected to receive a pay raise on his next deal. His teammate and fellow Oilers forward, Leon Draisaitl, signed an eight-year extension last summer with a $14 million annual cap hit, becoming the highest-paid player in the NHL. McDavid’s next deal should come in above that, with initial speculation stating it could get as high as $17 million annually.

Time will tell when a deal gets done and what it looks like. The Oilers have plenty of cap space, in just under $45 million, in terms of getting extensions done, and shouldn’t have an issue giving McDavid exactly what he wants on a new deal. The one thing that has been made very clear by pundits and journalists who cover the Oilers, as well as members of the organization, is that a deal will get done at some point, and fans shouldn’t be worried about him leaving.

As the 2025-26 season approaches, be sure to continue following The Hockey Writers as your source for news from around the NHL and the hockey world.

Salary cap data courtesy of PuckPedia.