Oilers insider predicts McDavid will sign seven-year contract with Edmonton
Connor McDavid’s long-term future with the Edmonton Oilers is unknown, but one team insider is giving fans a reason to be optimistic.
The Oilers captain has just two more seasons under contract with Edmonton, with next summer being the soonest possible date that he can sign another extension. That effectively gives the Oilers a one-year window to convince McDavid to stay, or else they may have to move on from him before he hits free agency in 2028.
It’s a terrifying reality that the Oilers find themselves in, and fears of losing McDavid only heightened after news broke that Mike Babcock is likely to become the team’s next head coach.
Those fears, however, are unfounded according to Oilers insider Bob Stauffer, who boldly predicted that McDavid will sign a max-term seven-year extension with the Oilers during an appearance on Sportsnet 590 The FAN on Tuesday.
“I don’t think there’s anybody more committed to Edmonton than Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl,” Stauffer said. “I expect the next contract that Connor McDavid signs to be a seven-year extension [with the Oilers].”
"I don't think there's anybody more committed to Edmonton than Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl… I expect the next contract to be a seven-year extension."@Bob_Stauffer joins @Mattymar89 and @FutaMichael to discuss the ongoing conversation surrounding McDavid's future. pic.twitter.com/3K42zr6RBY
— Sportsnet 590 The FAN (@FAN590) June 9, 2026
A seven-year extension starting in the 2028-29 season would keep McDavid in the Alberta capital until through the 2034-25 season and would expire when he is 38 years old. It would all but guarantee that McDavid will spend his entire career with the Oilers.
An extension like that would also keep McDavid with Leon Draisaitl, whose current eight-year deal runs through the 2032-33 season, when he will be 37.
Stauffer’s prediction offers the absolute best-case scenario for the Oilers, but a lot of work will need to be done to get there. The biggest hurdle will be convincing McDavid to devote the rest of his playing career to Edmonton.
The Oilers superstar opted for a heavily discounted two-year extension last year instead of cashing in on a long-term extension that very likely would have made him the highest-paid player in NHL history. That was a major favour to the Oilers, and if he finishes that deal empty-handed, why would he stick around?
Something needs to happen next season to convince McDavid to stay.
A Stanley Cup victory would likely seal his fate as an Oiler for life, but another first-round crash-out could spell the end of the McDavid era in Edmonton.