"I'm confident": Oilers CEO believes McDavid will sign extension in Edmonton

Jeff Jackson seems confident that Connor McDavid will remain a part of the Edmonton Oilers organization well past his current contract.

McDavid is set to enter the sixth year of an eight-year contract he signed in 2017. Given that the Oilers have yet to win a Stanley Cup during his time, some have suggested that he may look to bolt elsewhere once his contract expires. Jackson doesn’t believe that will be the case, however.

Many were excited when the Oilers hired Jackson as their CEO of hockey operations, as he served as McDavid’s agent for a lengthy period of time. The Oilers captain expressed his excitement about the signing at the time, leading many to believe the move could increase McDavid’s chances of signing an extension when it is time to do so. Speaking recently on The Bob McCown Podcast, Jackson seemed quite confident in the chances of it happening.

“I think that the Oilers are in a good spot,” Jackson said. “It’s been a while that he’s been there, eight years. There’s been frustrations, but there’s also been continuous building of a team that can compete. The city of Edmonton has embraced him, we have amazing fans. Darryl [Katz] has done everything in his power, with the building and the ice district and everything in the downtown. Players are treated extremely well.

“It all will come down to us doing our job to surround him and Leon [Draisaitl] and the rest of the core with the important parts that are going to help them get over the hump and compete. I’m confident that we’ll be able to do that. There’s no guarantee, but I have an understanding of his love of Edmonton and the team. I’m optimistic [that he’ll re-sign].”

Estimating what a new deal for McDavid would be worth is extremely difficult given that there are no comparables for him. He is earning $12.5 million per year on his contract, and will likely be in store for a much higher salary on his next deal given that the cap is expected to rise significantly before he needs an extension. Oilers fans will be okay with whatever the number is as long as it means he continues to stick around.

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