EDMONTON -- Connor McDavid is not ready to commit to the Edmonton Oilers beyond next season.
The Edmonton captain has one year remaining on his current contract and can become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, 2026.
Two days removed from losing in the Stanley Cup Final to the Florida Panthers for the second consecutive season, McDavid said he will take his time deciding his future beyond 2025-26.
“It’s only been a couple of days since the season ended, I’m going to take some time to regroup,” McDavid said Thursday. “I’m going to talk to my agent a little bit and family and all that, and make some decisions whenever that time comes. But there’s no rush on anything like that.”
McDavid, 28, is eligible to sign a new contract on July 1, and there is hope in Edmonton he will follow the path of forward Leon Draisaitl and agree to a deal keeping him with the Oilers for another eight seasons.
Draisaitl signed an eight-year, $112 million contract ($14 million average annual value) on Sept. 3, 2024, which begins this upcoming season.
“I haven’t really talked to Connor about it yet,” Draisaitl said Thursday. “There will come a time where we talk about it, but there’s nothing I can tell you right now that you want to hear or need to hear. That’s his situation and he will do what’s best for him and his family.
“Do I want him here forever? Yes, of course, I think everybody does. But there’s not much I can give you there.”
McDavid is going into the final season of an eight-year, $100 million contract ($12.5 million AAV) signed on July 5, 2017. He is expected to become the highest-paid player in the NHL with his next contract.
“It’s only been a couple of days; I’m sure we’ll get into it over the course of the next couple of weeks but I’m not in a rush to make any decision,” McDavid said. “I don’t think there needs to be any timeline. I know people are going to look at that July 1 day and be looking to see if there’s anything done, but for me, I’m just not in a rush that way.”