Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid will take some time to let the wound of losing his second consecutive Stanley Cup Final heal before turning his attention to a potential contract extension.
"It's only been a couple days since the season ended," McDavid said Thursday at his end-of-season press conference, per TSN's Ryan Rishaug. "Take some time to regroup, talk to my agent a little bit and family and all that. Make some decisions whenever that time comes. There's no rush. No rush on anything like that."
McDavid is eligible to sign an extension as of July 1 before playing out the final season of an eight-year, $100-million contract in 2025-26. He would be a a 29-year-old unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2026 if he doesn't sign a deal before then.
The Oilers locked up Leon Draisaitl on an eight-year, $112-million extension last summer, and his $14-million cap hit will be the highest in the league when it kicks in next season. Edmonton also has a big-ticket extension on the horizon for restricted free agent blue-liner Evan Bouchard.
The NHL's salary cap is projected to rise to $104 million in 2026-27, which would be the first year of McDavid's new deal. The Oilers currently have six players signed for that season, per PuckPedia.
McDavid noted he would have no issue staying in Edmonton as long as there's an organizational commitment to winning year in and year out.
"Winning would be at the top of the list," McDavid said of his priorities. "It's the most important thing. If I feel like there's a good window to win here over and over again, then signing is no problem. ...
"But again, I'm not in a rush to make any decision. So I don't think there needs to be any timeline. I know people are going to look at that July 1 day and be looking to see if there's anything done, but for me, I'm just not in a rush that way."
The Oilers lost to the Florida Panthers in the finals for the second consecutive season and have been eliminated from the playoffs by the eventual Cup champion four years in a row.
McDavid led the playoffs with 33 points but managed only one goal against the Panthers.
The Oilers drafted McDavid first overall in 2015. He's exceeded the generational expectations that were attached to him in junior hockey through his 10 NHL seasons, notching 1,082 points in 712 games and collecting three league MVP awards, five scoring titles, and last year's Conn Smythe Trophy.
