Draisaitl gives hopeful comments on McDavid contract talks with Edmonton Oilers
Hockey has returned to the Alberta capital, with a bunch of Edmonton Oilers players back on the ice for the annual captain skates, but an air of uncertainty is hovering over the team.
Connor McDavid still does not have an extension in place following the upcoming season, an issue that many thought would have been taken care of by now. Now, with training camp quickly approaching, it is already setting up to be a major distraction for a team with Stanley Cup aspirations.
It didn’t take long for Leon Draisaitl to be asked about the contract on Thursday morning, the first day the media was allowed in to the skates. The German is great friends with the Oilers captain and, understandably, didn’t want to get too into the weeds on the contract talks.
He did, however, give some hopeful comments that the saga will end sooner rather than later.
“I want him here as long as possible. I want to do it with him,” Draisaitl told reporters. “It’s about him and his family, and they’re going to make their decision based on what’s best for them.
“I know he feels at home here, but there’s a lot of things that play into a decision like that. Hopefully something gets reported soon.”
"This feeling around this time of the year is always the same. You're trying to get in the best shape possible & give yourself the best chance to get to that point again."
Leon Draisaitl on the #Oilers returning for informal skates. @Enterprise | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/1lyuZ49Xde
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) September 4, 2025
The panic around McDavid’s contract status seems to be limited to everybody outside of the Oilers organization. While Draisaitl didn’t want to offer any in-depth knowledge into the contract talks, he seemed to be in high spirits about the situation.
That aligns with similar comments made by Oilers CEO Jeff Jackson earlier this week.
Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner was also asked a similar question, where he said that the players haven’t really even brought it up over the first few days of skating back in Edmonton.
“We’re leaving it be,” Skinner said. “We’re not really chirping him right now. Now that you say that, I’ll probably chirp him today.
“He’s in his own situation, and we let him do his own thing. It’s not in our spot to lead him one way or another. Just trying to be as supportive as possible and do this thing this year.”
It feels like a deal should get done at some point over the next month or so, but until that happens, every day without a pen to paper will cause that much more anxiety in Oil Country.