‘It’ll be a feeling’: Oilers’ Connor McDavid taking time on contract extension

It is Day 1 of training camp, and Connor McDavid still does not have a contract extension.

The Edmonton Oilers superstar said that’s somewhat by design.

“It’s a big decision. It’s not something I take lightly or my family takes lightly,” he told Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman and Kyle Bukauskas on the 32 Thoughts podcast.

“Everything in my life’s been building to be here in this position, in this moment and it’s not something that I’m just gonna dream up and decide. I’m gonna think it over, and we have been and we’ll continue to do so.”

The Richmond Hill, Ont.-born McDavid has spent his entire career with the Oilers since being drafted first overall in 2015. He’s led the Oilers to each of the past two Stanley Cup Finals, falling short against the Florida Panthers both times.

McDavid emphasized that his primary goal remains bringing a Stanley Cup back to Edmonton — even if some are wondering what’s taken so long for him to commit on a new contract.

“I think people just kind of assumed that things were going to happen and it just goes to show that not everybody knows exactly what’s going on. My wife and I obviously love being here in Edmonton and we have every intention to win here in Edmonton and I have all the faith in the world in the 25-26 season and beyond that still remains to be seen,” he said.

“We have time. It’s our decision basically. We’ve earned that and we’re gonna take our time with it.”

McDavid, 28, is coming off an injury-plagued 2024-25 in which he still managed to hit the 100-point barrier (26 goals, 74 assists) for the fifth straight season despite playing just 67 games.

He also recently passed the 1,000-point plateau for his career, sitting at 1,082 (361 goals, 721 assists) to go with three Hart Trophies, five Art Ross Trophies, a Rocket Richard Trophy and the 2024 Conn Smythe.

Oilers general manager Stan Bowman said McDavid’s focus is solely on winning.

“I just go by what Connor says, which is that he wants nothing more than to win in Edmonton, so I take him at his word. He’s going through his own process and I think you have to understand and respect that, and I do. And when he’s ready, he’ll be ready,” Bowman told reporters on Wednesday.

Head coach Kris Knoblauch added that he does not think the contract situation will be a distraction to the team as it tries to get over the Stanley Cup hump.

“I think this group can handle pretty much anything and they’ve seen pretty much anything. It’s not a young group, so there’s been a lot of situations where these players have gone through similar circumstances,” he told reporters.

“I don’t think that’s gonna be much of an issue.”

Meanwhile, McDavid himself is just ready to get back on the ice.

The Oilers are bringing back much of the same roster that went to last year’s Final while hoping some young players can provide meaningful impact, too.

McDavid said there’s nothing else he needs to see from his team to convince him to sign on the dotted line.

“All the pieces are here for 25-26. It’s gonna be a feeling. When the time’s right, the moment’s right, it’ll just be a feeling. But as of right now, just excited to get the season going, really.

“Playing is the easy part.”

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