Speculation: Elephant in the room: Is McDavid going to be the biggest UFA ever in 2026?

[Superlative Soup]

Always thought Draisaitl had a better chance of leaving. Since he signed 8 years I think McDavid will do the same.

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

do you think the Oilers with McDavid are closer to winning than Dallas with McDavid, for example?

yes, they beat them in the playoffs last year

Of course the Oilers were close, they had McDavid. You're comparing them to teams that don't have him, but there's a lot of teams that would likely be better than Edmonton if he ended up choosing them.

and you're forgetting a lot of teams would have to shed good players and salary to get him to fit under their cap....you can't simply pop McDavid onto the Stars without other good players coming off it, eroding their depth

 

[HockeyVirus]

Now do the 90 players where it didn’t happen

I mean, the commented I quoted said McDavid has the personality of white rice he won't put himself in the spotlight like that... Tavares is basically a robot and he did it so it is a poor arguement. That is all I am saying.

continue doing what they're doing, namely "going for it" every single season...they were 2 goals away from the Cup last year FFS
they have the most series wins in the Western Conference the past 3 seasons

That was 99% blind luck. The Oilers will never sniff the finals again under this core imo. Roster is too poor.

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

That was 99% blind luck. The Oilers will never sniff the finals again under this core imo. Roster is too poor.

winning 5 series the past 3 years is "blind luck"

 

[HockeyVirus]

winning 5 series the past 3 years is "blind luck"

What does the last 3 years have to do with anything? The Oilers were a team who could beat the Kings and get byes into round 2. They managed to get a combination of everyone being hot and soft opponents to get into the final four and then managed to luckily win that Dallas series. Oh and McDavid had the best post season EVER.

But Skinner sucks, Nurse sucks, team has major flaws. They are not winning anything.

 

[SupremeTeam16]

McDavid extending in Edmonton is like the earth being round, it’s an absolute certainty and if you think otherwise, you are a complete idiot, end of story. There is one simple fact for this, if he ever wants out at any point he can force a trade, Jackson will make it happen and the Oilers will trade him for a haul.

If you look at what he’s done or what’s happened around him, it paints a picture of a person with no intentions of leaving in the near term.

-The guy who’s guided McDavid’s career since he was 14, leaves the agency he helped build to take over the Oilers. Would Jackson do that if McDavid was leaving in 2 years?

-Draisaitl extending long term as soon as he was able.

-McDavid and his wife spending two years building their dream home which launched her design career.

-His wife launching and HQ’ing her firm in Edmonton.

-The emphasis he’s put on winning with the team that drafted him like all the greats have.

My guess is he extends for 6-8 years as soon as he can, give the Oilers another 4 years or so, after this one and if they haven’t gotten it done by then and things are trending poorly, he’ll force a trade and call his shot and the Oilers will oblige. If he doesn’t win one in Edmonton or somewhere else on his next deal, he’ll go full mercenary and just sign cheap one year deals with whatever team he thinks has the best chance each year.

 

[Ajex12x]

Good for him, he deserves to chase the cup. Would be cool to see him in another jersey

 

[PuckG]

What does the last 3 years have to do with anything? The Oilers were a team who could beat the Kings and get byes into round 2. They managed to get a combination of everyone being hot and soft opponents to get into the final four and then managed to luckily win that Dallas series. Oh and McDavid had the best post season EVER.

But Skinner sucks, Nurse sucks, team has major flaws. They are not winning anything.

There are no byes in the playoffs. A Leafs fan that witnessed losses in the first round to the Blue Jackets and Canadiens virtually during their rebuilds should understand that more than anyone.

 

[Canovin]

McDavid most likely has a verbal agreement with the Oilers at 12.5M avv and 5% part ownership

 

[HockeyVirus]

There are no byes in the playoffs. A Leafs fan that witnessed losses in the first round to the Blue Jackets and Canadiens virtually during their rebuilds should understand that more than anyone.

There are teams that just cannot beat other teams. Kings vs Oilers is one. Is what it is.

Leafs lost to those teams because they were not contenders

 

[Nico Cauzuki]

No chance McDavid leaves

 

[ChaoticOrange]

He would be a fool to not hit UFA if he doesn’t win a cup in Edmonton by 2026

Well he’s not signing in Columbus, I guarantee you that

 

[TGWL]

McDavid extending in Edmonton is like the earth being round, it’s an absolute certainty and if you think otherwise, you are a complete idiot, end of story. There is one simple fact for this, if he ever wants out at any point he can force a trade, Jackson will make it happen and the Oilers will trade him for a haul.

I agree that he will sign with Edmonton again. But fans who speak in absolute have ended up looking foolish in the end. I'd say it's highly unlikely he doesn't re-sign, but I'd lose the "you're a complete idiot" part. ...just in case.

 

[TFHockey]

One of the greatest players of all time is eligible for an extension in 6 months. I just wanted to gauge how people feel around here. Nothing to troll about.

These comments don't strike me as someone who's burning to stay in Edmonton. I feel the vibes were very different around Draisaitl and his extension.
What do people think? Can Oilers fans give some insight on what they think is likely going to happen after this season? He's eligible to sign his extension July 1st, 2025.

Gee a Calgary Flames fan is "not trolling" about a McDavid signing that can't even happen yet and mentions a little something about "These comments don't strike me as someone who's burning to stay in Edmonton".

What a load of crap. You know exactly what you're trying to do here.

 

[Iggys Dome]

he said he's "all about winning" and the Oilers were 2 goals away from winning it all....why would he leave to go somewhere that's not as close as the Oilers were?

Fandom aside, that Oilers run was flukey as hell. Nothing suggests that Skinner, Nurse, Bouchard are a supporting cast that will repeat that run this year or next.

McDavid dragged that team there. And full credit to the Oilers, they beat the teams in front of them and made that SCF a series, but it felt like the McDavid show the whole time. It's a damn shame the best player since Lemieux doesn't have a ring yet, and probably won't have one by the time he's 30.

Gee a Calgary Flames fan is "not trolling" about a McDavid signing that can't even happen yet and mentions a little something about "These comments don't strike me as someone who's burning to stay in Edmonton".

What a load of crap. You know exactly what you're trying to do here.

Geez, talk about sensitive. It's a discussion board, if you can't handle speculation then you're free to move on.

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

Fandom aside, that Oilers run was flukey as hell. Nothing suggests that Skinner, Nurse, Bouchard are a supporting cast that will repeat that run this year or next.

Nurse, Bouchard, Hyman, Nuge were all part of the team that made it to the WCF in 2022...they've also won the most series in the Western Conference the past 3 years
you make it sound like that run came out of nowhere

McDavid dragged that team there. And full credit to the Oilers, they beat the teams in front of them and made that SCF a series, but it felt like the McDavid show the whole time. It's a damn shame the best player since Lemieux doesn't have a ring yet, and probably won't have one by the time he's 30.

even if this were true....he can't do it again? he's gonna do to another team and be a passenger?

 

[Be a Hab]

He will sign with the Habs and become an even bigger legend than he already is.

You heard here first folks

 

[Iggys Dome]

Nurse, Bouchard, Hyman, Nuge were all part of the team that made it to the WCF in 2022...they've also won the most series in the Western Conference the past 3 years
you make it sound like that run came out of nowhere


even if this were true....he can't do it again? he's gonna do to another team and be a passenger?

This is true, for the record I had them making the finals in 2023. Most pundits had the Oilers making the finals last year too. Maybe it was just me that was surprised after their awful start. I was waiting for the wheels to fall off for they kept chugging along.

McDavid is inhuman, he can do it again. The dude needs a better supporting cast though. Skinner is an abomination of a goalie and that defense putrid has been since he put on a Oilers jersey. I genuinely cannot believe how bad Chiarelli/Holland f***ed up McDavid and Draisaitl's prime years.

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

This is true, for the record I had them making the finals in 2023. Most pundits had the Oilers making the finals too.

McDavid is inhuman, he can do it again. The dude needs a better supporting cast though. Skinner is an abomination of a goalie and that defense is putrid has been since he put on a Oilers jersey. I genuinely cannot believe how bad Chiarelli/Holland f***ed up McDavid and Draisaitl's prime years.

defense is so "putrid", it finished top 10 in goals against last year
this year it's 14th

you need to watch more hockey and educate yourself

 

[Iggys Dome]

defense is so "putrid", it finished top 10 in goals against last year
this year it's 14th

you need to watch more hockey and educate yourself

Yeah I'd put Bouchard, Ekholm, Nurse right up there with the best of em. You're right

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

Yeah I'd put Bouchard, Ekholm, Nurse right up there with the best of em. You're right

if it's so bad and goaltending is so bad...how on Earth did they finish top 10?

 

[Iggys Dome]

if it's so bad and goaltending is so bad...how on Earth did they finish top 10?

Would you hinge the next 8 years on that defense and goaltending? Genuinely asking.

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

Would you hinge the next 8 years on that defense and goaltending? Genuinely asking.

why not? it's not a fluke they finished top 10....they continued the strong play into the playoffs
Bouchard is just entering his prime, Nurse has played some of his best hockey in years right now and is under 30 and Ekholm show no signs of slowing down yet
and Skinner just turned 26, cheap and not on a long contract if it doesn't work out

they need another top- 4 d-man sure, but they've added players in the past at the deadline (Kulak, Ekholm) and I expect them to do the same this year

 

[Oates2Neely]

Bobrovsky becomes a UFA same summer McDavid does if I’m not mistaken. Florida wipes that 10m off the books.

McDavid centering Tkachuk in Florida. I’ll take Matthew Tkachuk at 9.5m over Draisaitl at 14m. Add the warmer weather = no brainer.

July 1st 2026, McDavid: “I’m taking my talents to South Beach”

 

[BobClarkesfrontteeth]

I was reading this article from thescore and a few quotes stood out to me: McDavid: Winning 'all that matters to me at this point in my career'







These comments don't strike me as someone who's burning to stay in Edmonton. I feel the vibes were very different around Draisaitl and his extension.

What do people think? Can Oilers fans give some insight on what they think is likely going to happen after this season? He's eligible to sign his extension July 1st, 2025.

He does a Jason Spezza and goes to Toronto signing a league minimum deal to be the 4th line center and PP specialist.