Edmonton Oilers CEO Jackson gives good-news update on McDavid contract
Edmonton Oilers CEO Jeff Jackson is staying very optimistic about the Connor McDavid contract saga.
Anxiety has been high in the Alberta capital because McDavid is entering the final year of his contract with no extension signed. It is widely believed that a deal before training camp opens next month would be in the best interest of both sides, but until pen is put to paper, there will still be an anxious fervour around the entire situation.
Jackson, who is also McDavid’s former agent, sat down with Jeff Marek recently, where the two discussed the contract negotiations. From the sounds of it, things appear to be heading in the right direction.
“There’s a certain level of comfort with Connor,” Jackson said. “He’s been in Edmonton for 10 years, he’s been very vocal about how much he loves the city, he loves playing for this team, the team is a good team, which is paramount to Connor.
“Connor feels good about all that.”
Jackson also compared the situation to the Draisaitl contract negotiations last summer. In that case, there was a lot of noise around the German potentially leaving the Oilers, but he wound up signing a massive eight-year contract extension.
The Oilers CEO thinks things with McDavid are going down the same path (although he did not mention a max-term deal).
“It seemed like there was a lot more pressure, a lot more media talk [with Draisaitl],” Jackson said. “Sure enough, we got a deal done in early September with Leon and super happy about that.
“I feel it’s the same with Connor.”
Contract negotiations are usually a delicate dance between two parties acting in their own self-interest. The player wants to maximize his value, while the team wants to get the best deal possible. For Jackson, this won’t be a traditional negotiation as he anticipates things getting done very fast whenever McDavid is ready.
“It’s not going to be a long negotiation,” Jackson admitted. “I think it will be unlike any other sort of negotiation because it’s not really. When Connor’s ready, we’ll have the discussion and get a deal done.”
It makes a bit of sense why a contract has not yet been signed. McDavid has had a busy summer vacationing in Europe and just recently attended Draisaitl’s wedding in France. He is also set to participate in the Canadian Olympic camp in Calgary this week.
Elliotte Friedman recently said that he believes a contract will get signed within the next few weeks, and when you combine that with Jackson’s comments, there doesn’t appear to be any need for alarm in Oil Country.