McDavid’s agent just had an hour-long contract talk with Edmonton Oilers CEO
We are quickly approaching the panic portion of the Connor McDavid contract negotiations with the Edmonton Oilers.
Throughout the summer, there was a belief that the Oilers captain would have his new extension in place by training camp. Yet, as players return to Edmonton and camp is now just two weeks away, recent reports have indicated that McDavid may not have that new contract done by the start of the regular season.
This has resulted in widespread speculation among the fan base that McDavid may be hesitant to commit to the Alberta capital. It’s a saga that is set to become a major distraction for the Oilers until the ink is dry on a new deal.
That panic has not set in for Oilers CEO Jeff Jackson, who appeared on Tuesday’s edition of OilersNow with Bob Stauffer. The segment was almost completely centred on the McDavid negotiations, where Jackson revealed that he is in active contact with McDavid’s agent Judd Moldaver, having spoken to him on Tuesday.
“We’re not nervous about it,” Jackson said. “[McDavid] is taking his time. He’s trying to figure out what he would like to do vis-à-vis the term of a deal. I talked to his agent today for over an hour, and not all options, but most options as far as term are on the table.
“We’re confident we’re going to get a deal done. The season doesn’t start for another five weeks, of course, we’d like to have it done now, we’d like to have it done before camp starts, but we’re going to get it done at some point, I’m confident in that.”
Interestingly, Jackson mentioned that McDavid is pondering what the term on his next contract will be without much talk on the type of money it will include as well. Leon Draisaitl opted to sign an eight-year deal with Edmonton last summer, but reports over the summer have indicated that McDavid’s deal is likely to be shorter.
We have heard anything from a two-to-four-year deal being rumoured for McDavid this offseason. This could be a result of the NHL’s salary cap only having clarity up until the 2027-28 season, where it’s expected to balloon up to $113.5 million. The Oilers captain could sign a shorter-term deal now and then extend again once there is more certainty on where the cap is going.
Jackson hesitated to even call this process a negotiation, with the team basically waiting to see what McDavid decides he’s comfortable with. The Oilers are not going to rush an answer from their star player.
“It’s going to be something that Connor is comfortable with both from a dollar amount and term amount,” Jackson said. “I can’t tell you exactly where that’s going to be at this point because I don’t know, but I do know Connor, and he looks at things from all angles.”
It sounds like the process of getting a new contract done has entered a new phase, with Jackson speaking with McDavid’s agent on a more regular basis. The hope is that this will help get a deal signed sooner rather than later.