FEATURE: McDavid committed to Stanley Cup journey in Edmonton

EDMONTON, AB – ‘Our journey here continues’.

Those four words, sent via social media by Connor McDavid on Monday – even before his two-year contract extension was made official by the club later that morning – encapsulated the statement that fans in Edmonton had been dying to hear all offseason regarding the status of the world’s best player.

True to his word, the captain, and the cornerstone of this franchise, is all in on Oil Country.

“Of course, everything was on the table,” McDavid said about mapping his future to a swarm of media inside the Oilers dressing room on Tuesday morning. “That's the point of being in that situation. You have your options. But ultimately, our hearts are here in Edmonton.

"Our hearts are here with the core guys and with the guys in this room.”

Faced with the decision of whether to re-sign in Edmonton or become an unrestricted free agent this coming July at the end of his current eight-year contract, the enigmatic leader of the Oilers carefully considered his options and felt deep down that there was still unfinished business left for him and the rest of the team’s core in bringing home a Stanley Cup.

“Obviously, the city and the fans are important to us, and we want to win here. We want to bring it back here and make our city proud. But mostly, for the guys in this room, we've been through a lot together, and seeing it through together is important.”

Winning in Edmonton has always been his first priority, and the captain’s commitment to the Oilers, its fans and his teammates by signing his team-friendly extension on Monday to keep this club's Stanley Cup window open for the next three years shows that he’s willing to sacrifice whatever he must to make it happen.

Even if that meant leaving money on the table to be used to strengthen their cause for winning a championship.

"Very excited," said Leon Draisaitl, who's locked in long-term in Edmonton after signing his eight-year extension with the Oilers last year. "Every negotiation is its own project, but for us as an organization, he's the heart and soul of a group and of our team. So, getting the chance to chase it down for at least three more years is obviously amazing."

The truest statement of McDavid’s intent to win in Edmonton was revealed after his own announcement, when the club confirmed that he’d be continuing with the $12.5 million AAV he signed in July of 2017, when he was shooting off into NHL stardom at the end of his entry-level contract.

Now, with the salary cap expected to rise over the next three seasons, along with the additional savings provided to Oilers management from the contract extension signed by McDavid, there’s a considerable mandate from the captain for them to go out and strengthen their roster and position themselves even further as one of the League's top contenders, having been to the Stanley Cup Final in consecutive seasons and coming just short on both occasions.

"It shows that he wants to win. It's very obvious," Draisaitl said. "But within our group, we've got to do our work regardless of individuals, and it would have been the same in my situation. There's no difference. As I said, he's our captain, our leader, and our go-to guy. He's irreplaceable. So obviously, it's a great feeling for all of us to have him for three more years."

Along with the fans, McDavid said he owed it to his teammates not to extend negotiations too far into the regular season, while staying in Edmonton to try and bring home a Stanley Cup. Two years at $12.5 million AAV is where he ended up landing after not discussing any numbers with Oilers' management before Monday morning, with conversations focusing on where the team was heading in the coming years rather than money.

Because winning with the group here in Edmonton was always the priority, and the captain doesn't joke around when it comes to winning.

“I said I was committed to winning here, and I meant that when I said,” McDavid said. “Two years makes a lot of sense. It gives us a chance to continue chasing down what we've been chasing here with the core guys that have been here, and a little bit of money to work with, too. So I think the deal makes sense for both sides.

"I guess it's a unique situation. We weren't going to sign a long-term deal, so two years at that number makes a lot of sense. It gives us a chance, as I said, to extend our window here in Edmonton. It's about winning and that's always what I've preached, so I think this deal gives both sides what they're looking for."

Head Coach Kris Knoblauch has had the unique pleasure of coaching McDavid both at the junior and NHL levels, having been the head coach of the OHL's Erie Otters from 2012-15 before he was selected first overall by the Oilers at the 2015 NHL Draft. Knoblauch said that McDavid's always been a team-first leader while carrying the expectations of being a generational player – never putting himself above the team in the pursuit of winning.

For Knoblauch, the captain's commitment to strengthening the Oilers through his own sacrifice shows exactly how 'all in' he is on winning in Edmonton.

"He's been a tremendous leader throughout his time here and even the time I knew him from Erie," the bench boss said. "I was impressed when I joined the team. He was 15 years old, but the respect he had from his teammates was amazing. He had those leadership qualities and had a lot of say with the team, and the players just had so much respect for him because he's always considerate of his teammates.

"There was a lot of noise about what Connor wants to do and whether he wants to leave. I think he obviously put a lot of thought into it, but his commitment is 100 percent to the Edmonton Oilers and the city of Edmonton. I think he's put our team in a good position to succeed and do the things we need to do to adjust our team. But that says a lot about Connor.

"I know a lot of guys talk about winning, but I think he showed that it's the number one priority for him."