Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman insists it’s a lock McDavid stays in Edmonton. However till McDavid indicators a deal, something is on the desk.
Listed here are 4 doable timelines for the way this might play out:
1. Indicators this offseason
This is able to be the cleanest state of affairs. Get the deal achieved and silence the noise. However McDavid’s tone makes it clear: A July 1 signing isn’t coming. “I’m not in a rush,” he mentioned, and it sounded real.
Nonetheless, if he and the Oilers map out a transparent long-term plan, and if he feels assured the workforce can win “again and again,” as he put it, an extension later within the offseason remains to be doable. Even when it is a four-year deal, just like what Toronto heart Auston Matthews did together with his final contract. Then McDavid would get extra on his subsequent contract, because the cap goes up.
Final season, Edmonton star Leon Draisaitl signed his own extension on Sept. 3. So, Edmonton clearly isn’t afraid of letting issues marinate. The query is: Does McDavid need to keep in Edmonton for the lengthy haul?
2. Indicators through the season
That is the trickiest path. NHL stars not often signal huge extensions midseason, particularly not ones with McDavid-level stakes. It’s a distraction, and the highlight would solely get hotter with every recreation.
That mentioned, there’s a slim probability McDavid will determine to finish the hypothesis throughout a excessive level, perhaps after a powerful first half or an early clinch of a playoff spot for the Oilers. If Edmonton comes out flying and appears like a contender once more, he would possibly really feel extra assured concerning the long-term outlook.
Nevertheless, as of now, this feels extra like a “break glass in case of readability” state of affairs reasonably than a plan.
3. Re-signs with the Oilers subsequent offseason
Ready till July 1, 2026, would flip up the warmth and hypothesis.
Nonetheless, McDavid may take the 12 months to guage every thing: the workforce’s route, his well being and whether or not the Oilers nonetheless really feel like residence. He’s loyal, and if Edmonton retains contending, he might take the choice all the way down to the wire.
However the longer this drags out, the extra noise and suitors it invitations.
4. Assessments free company
That is the Oilers’ worst-case state of affairs and Toronto’s dream.
If McDavid hits the open market, there’s an opportunity he doesn’t come again.
Groups will line up, however Toronto will lead the pack. As a local of the better Toronto space, it’s residence for McDavid. It’s a hockey-mad market. And if the Maple Leafs are nonetheless within the combine, the story writes itself: McDavid comes again to Ontario to chase a title with Matthews to finish the longest Stanley Cup drought in NHL history.
Unlikely? Perhaps. Not possible? Not if successful takes precedence over loyalty.
