In Calgary, the fans at the Edmonton Oilers-Flames rookie content on Sunday afternoon chanted, “McDavid’s leaving” late in the third period.

In Toronto, the radio shows, newspaper columns and podcasts are still full of questions, if not outright doubts, about Oilers captain McDavid signing a new contact in Edmonton.

But all that said, McDavid will indeed be signing a new contract with the Edmonton Oilers. That has become clear.

The Globe & Mail’s ever hopeful Cathal Kelly has outright said that McDavid is quietly quitting Edmonton and the Oilers. On the 100% podcast today, co-hosts John Shannon and Darren Millard again both wondered aloud about what’s taking so long for McDavid to sign a new contract.

Said Millard, who is based in Vegas, “I truly don’t understand 2hy that contract hasn’t been signed and put to bed. Connor’s been there his whole career. He knows the situation. He knows the coach. He knows the president in Jeff Jackson. It should be from the outside the easiest deal to get done. And I’m a little perplexed at why it hasn’t been done and what’s holding it up.”

Shannon, who is based in Toronto, agreed with Millard. “Darren, you’re right. The deal should be done… I think the messaging we have received over the last six weeks is that it’s not about money and it’s not about term. I think it’s about environment and winning and making sure that this is a place that they can go to the Stanley Cup Final for multiple years in a row and win Stanley Cups. And so, you know, what’s that plan? And that’s something that we’re not privy to in any of the discussions. And I mean, we don’t even know how deep those discussions go and who do they go with? Do they go with (Oiler GM) Stan Bowman and Jeff (Jackson, team president)? Or do they go higher than that? Do they go with ownership?”

For all his questions, Shannon does foresee a new deal in Edmonton. “Do I think he’s going to sign? Yeah, I do. I think he’s going to sign.”

In Edmonton itself, confidence remains high that McDavid will sign a new deal. That’s in no small part due to the team’s ultimate insider Bob Stauffer, host of Oilers Now, constantly reporting for the past two weeks that he’s 102 per cent certain of a new deal.

Stauffer pointed out that on the weekend McDavid walked out in front of 50,000 fans with Morgan Wallen at the big country rock concert at Commonwealth Stadium.

“Over the course of the last decade, there’s been no player more dedicated to the cause of the Edmonton Oilers,” Stauffer said of McDavid, noting that the team captain helped Edmonton recruit free agents such as Andrew Mangiapane this summer. “He’s the first guy that contacts a draft and a new player when they come to the organization. He, Leon Dreisaitl, and Darnell Nurse joined Matthias Ekholm for the first key core veterans that were on the ice returning for the captain’s skates (this Septembrer).”

Stauffer continued: “He’s out with Morgan Wallen as an obvious representative of not just the Edmonton Oilers, but the city of Edmonton as well. If he was thinking for a second about departing, maybe you start to distance yourself. And that’s the stuff that I can tell you. Because there’s other things that have happened that would further suggest that he’s pretty committed. Not everybody in Toronto, but there’s a couple of individuals in Toronto and a couple of guys down there (in Calgary) go, ‘oh, you guys are going to lose him and he’s not going to re-sign.’ He’ll be re-signing a deal in Edmonton at some point.”

A mpment later Stauffer addressed the matter again. “So again, let’s just chill. Everybody relax.”

My take

1. Stauffer isn’t just the most popular Oilers broadcaster, he also works for the team. I can see no way that he would repeatedly put out the message that he’s 102 per cent confident McDavid will be signing a new deal if that were not the case.

Think about it. If somehow Stauffer was just making up this stuff about McDavid singing a new deal and airing it repeatedly, and none of that was true, how do you think it would go over with McDavid and his agent? Would the not be perplexed and annoyed, maybe even furious? Why would Stauffer do that? It would do nothing to enhance Edmonton’s ability to sign the player to a new deal to have Stauffer upset him in this way, correct?

2. Then there’s the strength of McDavid’s history with the team, as Stauffer points out. McDavid is not acting like a player who is leaving. He’s acting like a businessman fully exploring all aspects of any new contract before he signs it.