One of the top free agents next summer if already off the board, as Kirill Kaprizov signed an eight-year, $136 million contract with the Minnesota Wild. Now, all eyes are on Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid, who hits free agency at the end of this upcoming season. While the expectation is that McDavid will likely hit the open market, or at least explore contract talks with the Oilers later on.
There is a bit of a soft deadline for Tuesday, Oct. 7, as that is the day before the Oilers' regular season opener against the Calgary Flames. Maybe, just maybe, McDavid opts to negotiate a deal to stay with the Oilers?
Oilers general manager Stan Bowman spoke with reporters on Wednesday and was asked about McDavid potentially entering the regular season without a new deal in place. Bowman said he's not committing to McDavid entering the season without a new contract.
“I don’t have expectations either way on that,” Bowman said, via TSN. “I think we’re continuing to talk to [McDavid’s agent Judd Moldaver] regularly, I talk to him almost every day and had good chats with Connor all along the way too. I don’t like to make predictions, we’ll see where it goes.”
Oilers GM Stan Bowman noncommittal on chances of re-signing Connor McDavid before the season
You can't necessarily fault Bowman for this answer. The answer ultimately relies on what McDavid decides to do. As of this writing, McDavid hasn't given a straightforward answer on whether he wants to re-sign with the Oilers or test out free agency.
After losing in the Stanley Cup Final, McDavid said he wanted to see whether the Oilers were committed to putting together a winning team. Back in September, McDavid said that all options are on the table, including taking a short-term deal.
If McDavid were to hit the open market, he would without a doubt be the most sought-after players. Ultimately, each team's chances may very well depend on Stanley Cup contention chances. It really does depend on how this upcoming season goes (if McDavid chooses against re-signing with Edmonton before the season opener).
Ultimately, this whole saga comes down to the decision McDavid makes. As of now, it doesn't appear like he's made up his mind. For the Oilers and general manager Stan Bowman, they will continue to talk to McDavid and his agent until then.