McDavid in ‘no rush’ to make decision on new contract with Oilers

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.”

McDavid had 33 points (seven goals, 26 assists) in 22 playoff games for the Oilers, who were defeated by the Panthers 5-1 in Game 6 of the Cup Final on Tuesday, losing the best-of-7 series.

Edmonton was also eliminated by Florida in the Final last season with a 2-1 loss in Game 7.

McDavid had 100 points (26 goals, 74 assists) in 67 games this season. He has 1,082 points (361 goals, 721 assists) in 712 career games over 10 seasons with the Oilers.

With the Oilers, McDavid has won the Hart Trophy three times (2017, 2021, 2023), the Ted Lindsay Award four times (2017, 2018, 2021, 2023) and the Art Ross Trophy as the League’s leading scorer five times (2017, 2018, 2021, 2022, 2023).

The one trophy that has eluded the No. 1 pick in the 2015 NHL Draft is the Stanley Cup, which he said is the most important factor in the decision on his next contract.

“Winning would be at the top of the list,” McDavid said. “Winning is the most important thing. If I feel there’s a good window to win here over and over again, then signing is no problem.”

The Oilers have a solid core beyond McDavid and Draisaitl, which includes forwards Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hyman, and defensemen Darnell Nurse, Evan Bouchard and Mattias Ekholm. The group has been through a number of tough playoff battles the past four seasons, eliminated each year by the eventual Stanley Cup champion -- the Colorado Avalanche in 2022, Vegas Golden Knights in 2023 and Florida the past two seasons.

“This core has been together for a long time and we’ve been building to this moment all along,” McDavid said. “The work that’s gone on behind the scenes, the conversations, the disappointments and some good times along the way as well.

“We’re all in this together, trying to get it over that finish line. With that being said, ultimately, I still need to do what’s best for me and my family and that’s who I have to take care of first, but of course there is unfinished business here, yeah.”

Until McDavid signs a new contract there will be anxiety in Edmonton at the prospect of losing one of the most productive players in NHL history.

McDavid became the fourth fastest player to reach 1,000 points this past season, reaching the milestone on Nov. 15 in his 659th game. Only Wayne Gretzky (424 games), Mario Lemieux (513), and Mike Bossy (656) have reached the milestone in fewer games.

“My message to the fans would be to keep being patient and keep believing,” McDavid said. “They’ve been through a lot just like our team has, the emotional highs and the lows. I look at what these playoff runs do to my family and it’s hard on them. It’s hard on the fans and it’s hard on everybody, but ultimately when that day comes it’ll all be worth it. These moments are tough now, it’s tough to look at that, but when that moment comes, it’ll be worth the wait for sure.”

McDavid feels Edmonton is in a good position to make another run at the Stanley Cup, and for now, he's taking it a season at a time.

“I think the team is certainly positioned to be really, really good again next year,” McDavid said. “Beyond that, I don’t know or care. We’re worried about next year and that’s the way it’s goes.”