Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid had some welcome news for Oilers fans today, that he has every intention to win in Edmonton, but that didn’t stop Toronto Maple Leafs fans from reading into McDavid’s latest comment on his contract negotiations that the he wants out of Edmonton.
At the press conference for the Team Canada Olympics camp, McDavid said: “I said at the end of June, you know, I had every intention just to take my time with it, and I still feel the same way, take my time and go through everything. And I have every intention to win in Edmonton. That’s my only focus, maybe next to win the gold medal with Canada, but it is my intention to win there, yeah. Taking my time going through (contract talks) with, obviously, my family, my agent, everybody involved. So we’re going through it slowly.”
McDavid said he was in no rush to sign even if it meant going into the season with no new contract.
“I don’t have a preference either way. You know, I want the group to be as focused and dialled in and ready to roll come day one as possible. And you know, we don’t need any distractions. So, yeah, as I said, taking my time with it, and that’s it.”
As with everything McDavid says and does, the reaction to his comment was immense. Here are some of the highlights from social media:
Oilers fan DougieDman @OilDoug
NOBODY has indicated he’s going anywhere but to the table to sign an extension. Unless someone like Elliotte Friedman says he’s leaving, he’s staying.
Leafs fan Adam @TOSportsAdam
What I took from this is he can’t wait to leave for Toronto. Just as I predicted.
Leafs fan Leafer_Reefer @_Corey85
Intentions aren’t to stay though. I see you, Connor.
Rangers fan Mikey Z @NYrangersNole
Taking my time with it is a nice way of saying we will see what happens this season and if I have to leave to be a ranger, then that’s what I’ll do
#1 Boston Bruins Fan @1_fan45216
Oilers have to trade him if he isn’t signed by training camp. They can’t possibly risk losing him for nothing. Actions speak louder than words. As they say.
Leafs Fan @leafsfaan
He’s walking
Leafs fan Randy Lahey @CoreyTreverson_
He knows Edmonton’s roster is absolutely cooked, but he’s gotta put a brave face on because he also doesn’t want to let the fans down. He’s stuck between a rock and a pile of shit right now.
Panthers fan PB @peebs1three
Summer of 2026….welcome to the Panthers, Connor!
Oilers fan Conor @ConorOrConor
“Every intention to win in Edmonton” seems like the Maple Leafs fans aren’t gonna like this one
Leafs fan FC Kevin ☬🔻🍉 @KevinRandhawa
He will win in Edmonton as a member of the Maple Leafs
Leafs fan AllThingsLeafs @hockey34816
maybe he wins a cup this year in Edmonton if they improve on their goalie situation at the deadline, but if they don’t, I think he’s gonzo to his hometown… not biased opinion at all, but I think it’s also weird that they haven’t talked about an extension or even numbers yet
Oilers fan Alan Smithee 🇨🇦 @Oiler_Country
You can read into it however you want. I think he’s going to stay and sign 3 or 4 year deal and get really paid when the cap goes up. You can sow the seeds of doubt saying he’s gone to Toronto or NY but he’s an Oiler now and on Oilers forever. Watch the cup parades on stream.
Leafs fan Clark Kent @SupermansBurner
He realizes it isn’t possible to win Edmonton 😂😂😂😂 WELCOME HOME CONNOR🤧🍁
Oilers blogger Jackie Bondurant 🇨🇦 @JackieBee_16
The amount of delusional Leafs fans in the comments saying that he’s gone …lol… Y’all picked the Leafs as your team, your judgment is questionable to say the least He’s never going to play for Toronto – deal with it. He’s not going anywhere else
Oilers fan Izzy Swiff @IzzySwiff
You left out the part where he said “it’s his only focus”. Everybody hates him until they think he might play for their team. He’s an Oiler for life. At least til he wins a cup. 🙏
NHL fan Matt Robinson @MattRob19
Can anyone blame him if he wants to leave?
Avalanche Forever @citchmook
McDavid has absolutely no incentive to remain in Edmonton, none, zero. There are several teams that will pay him as much as Edmonton will or more.
Leafs fan Izzy Mandelbaum @ImTheIzz
Not saying McDavid is leaving but he’s clearly not enamored with the direction the Oilers are taking or it would have been a relatively painless contract
Ryan Rishaug @TSNRyanRishaug
On the McDavid contract, there hasn’t been a back and forth with dollars and term to this point between the two sides. After taking some time to regroup after the season McDavid and agent Judd Moldaver of Wassermann are working through what the options are and what the ask will look like. No firm timeline on this, and expect dialogue to continue. McDavid expected to address the media at Olympic orientation camp today in Calgary.
McD
My take
1. Hockey fans are nothing if not partisan. Partisanship makes people hear exactly what they want. So Leafs fans heard McDavid saying he wasn’t committed to Edmonton. I heard his strongest statement yet that he’s committed to winning in the years to come as an Oiler.
2. The Oilers are already stretched this year before McDavid gets any raise, with their Top Four players taking in 48.4 per cent of the cap. But the team is hopeful that younger and low cost players such as Matt Savoie, Ike Howard, David Tomasek, Stuart Skinner, and Vasily Podkolzin will provide excellent value this year, helping the team again fight for the Cup, led by vets McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Evan Bouchard.
It’s not a bad bet.
Core four