'Everything's on the table' for Connor McDavid's NHL future

Edmonton Oilers prima Connor McDavid sat successful a property league days aft losing successful the Stanley Cup Final to the Florida Panthers for the 2nd consecutive season. He was peppered with questions astir his future, with unrestricted escaped bureau looming successful summertime 2026 if helium doesn't motion an hold with the Oilers.

The Edmonton media was sportfishing for immoderate motion that McDavid was committed to the enactment and the city, but helium wasn't biting that day. Someone asked if helium had a consciousness of unfinished concern with his teammates aft coming truthful adjacent to raising the Cup, losing successful 7 games to Florida past play and successful six games this month.

"This halfway has been unneurotic for a agelong clip and we've been gathering to this infinitesimal each along. The enactment that's gone connected down the scenes, the conversations, the endless disappointments and immoderate bully times on the way, obviously. We're each successful this together, trying to get it implicit that decorativeness line," McDavid said.

Then came the 4 words that shook a metropolis to its soul.

"With that being said," McDavid continued, "ultimately, I inactive request to bash what's champion for maine and my family. That's who you person to instrumentality attraction of first."

It was the archetypal clip McDavid adjacent hinted astatine hesitation astir his aboriginal successful Edmonton. He's entering the last play of an eight-year, $100 cardinal deal signed successful July 2017. Many assumed the ink would beryllium drying connected an hold with the Oilers -- successful what is expected to beryllium the richest declaration successful NHL past -- erstwhile he's eligible to motion connected July 1. But McDavid is improbable to motion that hold unless he's comfy with the advancement Edmonton's made successful improving its roster for adjacent play and beyond.

"I'm not successful a unreserved to marque immoderate decision, truthful I don't deliberation that determination needs to beryllium immoderate timeline," McDavid said. "I cognize radical are going to look astatine July 1 and volition beryllium looking to spot if there's thing done. But for me, no, I'm conscionable not successful a unreserved successful that way."

An NHL root said that McDavid isn't committed, astatine this point, to staying with the Oilers beyond adjacent season. But he's besides not committed to moving connected from the enactment that drafted him first wide successful 2015.

"He's trying to find reasons to stay, not to leave," the root said. "But everything's connected the array for Connor close now."

IF MCDAVID DOESN'T RE-SIGN with the Oilers, it would beryllium an unprecedented infinitesimal successful the past of NHL escaped agency. Never earlier has a generational endowment -- with aggregate MVP awards and scoring titles to his recognition -- reached unrestricted escaped bureau successful his prime.

There mightiness not beryllium a comparative infinitesimal successful North American nonrecreational sports since LeBron James and "The Decision" successful 2010 -- though fixed what fans and players person been chanting astir McDavid aft the Panthers' 2nd Stanley Cup triumph implicit Edmonton, 1 assumes McDavid won't beryllium taking his talents to South Beach.

With Stanley Cup contention arsenic his goal, the excavation of teams with whom McDavid would see signing is limited. There's been speculation astir the Ontario autochthonal having a homecoming with the Toronto Maple Leafs, inactive seeking their archetypal Stanley Cup since 1967; that helium could articulation erstwhile Oilers GM Ken Holland with the Los Angeles Kings; that the New York Rangers could marque him the king of Broadway portion easing his goaltending headaches with Igor Shesterkin; oregon that well-maintained franchises similar the Boston Bruins, Colorado Avalanche, Vegas Golden Knights, Dallas Stars and Tampa Bay Lightning could marque their pitches.

McDavid is committed to Edmonton for the 2025-26 season. That database of imaginable suitors could alteration successful that span, depending connected their ain fortunes.

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Messier: McDavid and Draisaitl are the 2 champion players of their generation

Mark Messier joins "Get Up" and breaks down wherever Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl stack up successful the NHL aft the Oilers' overtime win.

After Leon Draisaitl inked an eight-year, $112 cardinal deal past summertime -- a declaration that volition support him successful Edmonton until 2033 -- galore assumed McDavid's hold would beryllium a specified formality. After all, wherefore would Draisaitl motion without immoderate denotation that his adjacent person and predominant linemate McDavid would bash the same?

But sources told ESPN successful January that 1 signing was not a harbinger of the other, and that McDavid would marque his ain determination autarkic of Draisaitl's.

But marque nary mistake: Draisaitl is simply a origin successful McDavid's decision. As are defenseman Evan Bouchard, guardant Zach Hyman, guardant Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and each different halfway subordinate that theoretically volition beryllium successful Edmonton for the adjacent respective seasons. As McDavid said, the halfway has been done playoff battles together, and there's a consciousness of unfinished concern for him successful Edmonton.

"We were 2 games distant from winning. Last year, we were 2 shots distant from winning, truthful the content is incredibly precocious successful that room," helium said. "We talked astir that each passim the playoffs, and we bash judge that this radical tin triumph and volition win."

But for each that belief, McDavid wants to recognize the program for however the squad tin triumph successful the abbreviated word and the agelong term. It's an indispensable portion of his decision-making process to stay successful Edmonton.

He wants to cognize however a squad with conscionable implicit $10 cardinal successful headdress space, without overmuch draught superior and the 30th-ranked imaginable pool, tin marque the indispensable moves to get implicit the title hump and stay competitive. Last summer, that excavation of young players got thinner erstwhile guardant Dylan Holloway and defenseman Phillip Broberg were poached by the St. Louis Blues via connection sheets.

McDavid nodded astatine that bladed imaginable excavation during his property conference. "It's not similar we person a ton of headdress country and we've got a agelong database of highly touted prospects knocking connected the door," helium said.

McDavid reiterated: "If I consciousness that there's a bully model to triumph present implicit and implicit again, past signing is nary problem."

GM Stan Bowman didn't needfully hold that pitching McDavid connected the Oilers' model to triumph was immoderate much captious than gathering his asking terms during negotiations.

"I don't cognize if you person to merchantability 1 happening immoderate much than another," helium said.

But Bowman knows that convincing McDavid of Edmonton's continuing committedness to triumph is paramount. When helium was hired to regenerate Holland past summer, Bowman visited with McDavid, who told him that helium wanted to triumph the Stanley Cup.

"That was it. We didn't speech astir thing else. This is his singular focus," Bowman said.

"I conjecture it's my occupation to link with Connor and show that's what we're each trying to do. We each person the aforesaid objective. I cognize however passionate helium is astir winning. It's what I emotion astir him," helium said. "He's not conscionable a fantastic hockey player, but he's a large person, a large leader, and he's incredibly motivated to bash immoderate it takes."

IF MCDAVID ULTIMATELY RE-SIGNS with the Oilers, what helium hears from Bowman could find the magnitude of that contract. There's a increasing content that McDavid whitethorn not motion an eight-year hold similar Draisaitl, but could research thing successful the three- to five-year range. That would let him to effort to decorativeness the "unfinished business" with the halfway successful Edmonton, portion reaching UFA presumption successful his aboriginal 30s with the NHL wage headdress projected to proceed its record-setting ascent.

Another crushed to judge this could hap is Judd Moldaver, enforcement vice president astatine Wasserman and McDavid's agent. He was the archetypal NHL cause successful the wage headdress epoch to question contracts for superstar clients with importantly little than maximum term. He's gone shorter than 8 years connected blockbuster extensions for Maple Leafs prima Auston Matthews, with a five-year woody successful 2019 and a four-year woody signed successful 2023, arsenic good arsenic Columbus Blue Jackets prima Zach Werenski (six years, signed successful 2021). He could question to bash the aforesaid for McDavid.

Matthews had the league's highest headdress deed ($13.25 cardinal mean yearly value) earlier Draisaitl's declaration ($14 cardinal AAV) kicks successful adjacent season.

McDavid is each but definite to eclipse that. His adjacent declaration -- astatine immoderate magnitude it ends up being -- volition scope betwixt $15.5 cardinal and $19 cardinal per twelvemonth connected a max deal, aggregate sources indicated to ESPN. Anything supra Draisaitl's headdress deed would acceptable a caller NHL grounds for highest mean yearly worth successful the headdress era.

The wealth volition instrumentality attraction of itself. It's Connor McDavid, the feline with 3 Hart trophies arsenic NHL MVP, a Conn Smythe Trophy arsenic playoff MVP and 5 scoring titles. In theory, the declaration dialog with McDavid is fundamentally a wide manager asking however overmuch helium needs, and past penning the check.

But McDavid has said that the accidental to assistance the Stanley Cup is much important than his slope account.

"Winning would beryllium astatine the apical of the list," helium said. "It's the astir important thing."

The Oilers are assured that, aft 2 trips to the Stanley Cup Final, they connection the champion changeable astatine winning for McDavid. But they besides connection the comfortableness of being the lone NHL location he's known.

McDavid and woman Lauren Kyle McDavid person a location successful the Parkview country of Edmonton that was featured by Architectural Digest. Kyle McDavid besides precocious helped unfastened the stylish Bar Trove successful Edmonton that features Trove Living, a retail location furnishing store connected the level supra it. Her company, Kyle & Co. Design, is located connected the 3rd level of the building.

Given his past with the squad and his roots successful the city, the Oilers are optimistic but diligent with McDavid.

"He's earned the close for america to beryllium respectful of his timing. Certainly we're anxious to conscionable with him whenever helium wants, but we besides recognize that helium conscionable went done a precise pugnacious ending to the season," Bowman said.

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NHL commissioner Gary Bettman: Connor McDavid transcends hockey

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman tells Stephen A. Smith that Connor McDavid's interaction transcends the crippled of hockey.

Last year, Leon Draisaitl didn't motion his hold until Sept. 3.

"Timing-wise, Connor's going to thrust that process, but there's nary question he's a pivotal subordinate connected our squad for not conscionable what helium does connected the ice, but his leadership," Bowman said. "I've had a accidental to enactment with him present and I've been conscionable truthful impressed with things you guys astir apt don't see. He's incredibly important to our radical and whenever he's ready, we're going to dive into that."

Near the extremity of his property conference, McDavid was asked by a section newsman for a connection to the fans. The ones that person been connected this travel with the Oilers during his clip with the team. The ones "wanting to spot what precisely happens with your aboriginal here" successful Edmonton, arsenic the questioner enactment it.

"My connection to the fans would beryllium to support being diligent and support believing. They've been done a lot, conscionable similar our squad has. The affectional highs, the lows. I look astatine what these playoff runs bash to my family. It's hard connected them. It's hard connected the fans. It's hard connected everybody. But yet erstwhile that time comes, it'll each beryllium worthy it," helium said. "These moments are pugnacious now. But erstwhile that infinitesimal comes, it'll beryllium worthy the hold for sure."

The connection wasn't a passionate committedness to enactment successful Edmonton nor was it a declaration that his bags are packed for escaped agency. The connection was that a title volition marque each the postseason heartache worthy the pain. As the NHL offseason begins, wherever McDavid mightiness yet triumph that title is, astatine this moment, uncertain.