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Greg Wyshynski
Star center Connor McDavid will remain with the Edmonton Oilers, signing a two-year contract extension with an average annual value of $12.5 million, the team announced Monday.
McDavid made his decision Monday morning, an NHL source told ESPN, and the contract talks were completed within hours.
He was set to become an unrestricted free agent after this season — his 11th with the Oilers — after signing an eight-year, $100 million deal in July 2017. The potential availability of the player considered the best in the world sparked speculation about his future, but remaining in Edmonton was always considered the likeliest outcome.
The 28-year-old center is considered by many to be the best hockey player in the world. He has 1,082 points in 712 career games, with 361 goals. He’s won five scoring titles and three Hart trophies as regular-season MVP. He also became the second skater ever to win the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP in a losing effort in 2024.
McDavid has led the Oilers to the Stanley Cup Final in two straight seasons, but they’ve lost to the Florida Panthers both times.
McDavid took his time in making a contract decision, sources told ESPN, as he evaluated the contention window for the Oilers. Fellow superstar Leon Draisaitl, 29, signed an eight-year extension in Sept. 2024. Other players like forwards Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hyman, as well as defensemen Mattias Ekholm and Darnell Nurse, are all over 30 years old. There were also lingering questions about the team’s goaltending, arguably its biggest weakness in those previous two Stanley Cup Final losses.
Many anticipated McDavid would take a short-term deal with the Oilers to help them remain in their contention window for the next two seasons, while potentially still becoming the most coveted free agent in NHL history during summer 2028. There were discussions about a three-year term for McDavid during talks with the Oilers before ultimately landing on two years.
It was also expected that McDavid would take a team-friendly contract — nowhere near the record high of Kirill Kaprizov’s recent deal with the Minnesota Wild, which set NHL records for overall value ($136 million) and AAV ($17 million) on an eight-year term. Center Leon Draisaitl signed an extension with a $14 million AAV last year.
