Oilers get mixed news on Connor McDavid’s plans to leave Edmonton originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The Edmonton Oilers still have a lot to figure out with Connor McDavid.
And on that front, there’s both some good news and some bad news.
The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun reported recently that he doesn’t think McDavid will look for a way out this summer.
Next summer? That’s when LeBrun thinks the move could come down.
He speculates that McDavid wouldn’t leave Edmonton high and dry by simply leaving as a free agent in two years.
It’s a fascinating situation to follow, and certainly one that will remain in speculation and rumors for as long as McDavid is on his current contract with the Oilers.
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McDavid entered the 2025-26 season as a contract year, except he signed an extension right before the campaign that added two years to the deal.
So now that this season has concluded for the Oilers with a first-round playoff loss, McDavid has those two years left.
He still hasn’t won a Stanley Cup despite being the widely acknowledged best hockey player on the planet.
In 2024, the Oilers lost in the Stanley Cup Finals in seven games to the Florida Panthers.
In 2025, it was a six-game defeat in the Finals to the same Panthers.
This year, though, the Oilers regressed to a lesser regular season and then a first-round exit.
The Oilers are running out of time to win one with McDavid. And this upcoming season will probably be crucial to those chances, and to whether McDavid is around longer than that.