Oilers superstar Connor McDavid struggled to find the words to describe the team’s 8-3 loss to the Dallas Stars on Tuesday night. The decision dropped the Oilers’ record to 10-10-5 for the season, and McDavid looked defeated during his post-game interview.
The team is grappling with the same issues that have plagued them since McDavid joined the NHL in the fall of 2015. Edmonton’s secondary offensive support for McDavid and Leon Draisaitl is minimal, and their goaltending remains a significant concern. Considering the Oilers have faced these problems for so long, it makes one wonder why a generational talent like McDavid chose to sign on for two more years of this, especially given the bargain he struck when he signed for just $12.5MM a season.
McDavid’s choice to sign with Edmonton before even considering free agency might become one of the biggest “what-ifs” in NHL history. However, McDavid opted for stability in a familiar market, with a team that has been competitive for most of his NHL career.
Ultimately, McDavid decided to stay loyal to the Oilers, but the two-year term seemed like a warning shot to Edmonton. So far, that warning appears to have fallen on deaf ears. The timing of McDavid’s extension was quite unusual. The superstar had a clear route to unrestricted free agency, which could have been one of the most incredible stories in NHL history if it had come to pass.
McDavid had the chance to be the highest-profile player in NHL history to reach free agency since Wayne Gretzky in 1996. He held leverage against the Oilers and could have waited out the season, sparking a bidding war for his services. This would have boosted his star power and changed what a superstar’s career could look like. Instead, McDavid chose familiarity, even though the timing of his decision wasn’t convenient.
McDavid’s signing has delayed his free agency by 24 months, and some people dismiss this decision by arguing that McDavid will still get paid and reach free agency after the salary cap has significantly increased. While both points have some truth, the counterargument is compelling. Instead of becoming a free agent at 29, McDavid will do so at 31. It might seem minor, but many NHLers see their skills decline after 30.
Another factor is that when McDavid finally signs, the new CBA rules on contract length will apply, meaning the maximum deal with his current team will be seven years, and he’ll only be able to land six years on the open market. Although this one-year reduction isn’t a significant issue, it will likely cause McDavid to leave money on the table on his next deal.
In terms of missed opportunities, McDavid would have been the first generational player in NHL free agency to test the market in the prime of his career. While it would have made great theater for the NHL, it would also have been an opportunity for McDavid to shift the league’s balance of power toward whichever team he joined, while helping reset the salary structure for superstar NHLers. McDavid is clearly not a $12.5MM player, but like many top NHLers before him, he took a ‘hometown discount’ to stay with his current team.
For some NHLers, taking that discount has worked out well (Sidney Crosby, Steven Stamkos, Nathan MacKinnon). Far more often, the savings from a reduced salary cap are wasted. Even Crosby, who traded tens of millions of dollars to play on consistently competitive teams, saw many of those seasons marred by costly mistakes on depth players with inflated cap hits (Jack Johnson, Erik Gudbranson, Nick Bjugstad). Crosby essentially subsidized poor roster decisions with his lower cap hits, and would no doubt do so again, given the Stanley Cup championships Pittsburgh has won during his career.
McDavid’s decision to re-sign essentially upholds the NHL’s long-standing tradition of superstars taking less money to stay with their team, and no doubt he did so while feeling loyalty to the Oilers fans who have endured the same heartbreaks he has. The reality is, McDavid has gone through a decade without winning the Cup, despite multiple front-office makeovers, coaching changes, cap mismanagement, and an inability to surround him with real depth. And while the depth has improved over the last few years, the “we’re almost there” mentality won’t put a Stanley Cup ring on McDavid’s finger.
All of this to say, McDavid probably owed it to himself to explore free agency at least to see if a team with a more precise winning blueprint could emerge, giving him a better chance at a title. July 1, 2026, would have offered a window into that, but McDavid chose not to look, and it could come back to haunt him if he never wins a championship. McDavid had all the leverage, which makes his decision baffling, because exploring free agency didn’t require him to leave Edmonton. He could have casually explored his options, had discussions with teams, listened to their pitches, and then re-signed with Edmonton—something that might have pushed the Oilers to step up their game and get creative with their roster. But the Oilers didn’t need to worry about losing McDavid, and it seems this has led to some apathy across the organization, as they don’t seem to be a group hungry to win.
Generational players across all leagues have frequently tested free agency. NBA superstar LeBron James famously took his talents to Miami nearly 15 years ago, and MLB superstar pitcher Paul Skenes will likely follow suit one day. It’s common, and not all players do it because they’re leaving; they do it for a variety of reasons. They can because the process gives them power, and it’s one of the few times they get to fully control their own destiny.
McDavid could have taken a different route, but he didn’t. While he’s given the Oilers a short leash to build a winner around him, he could have kept that leash even tighter, which might have pushed the Oilers to solve their roster issues more quickly. It could also have generated a story that might have become a sensation across all platforms—a broader narrative focusing on a star-driven tale on a smaller scale than MLB superstar Shohei Ohtani’s. The buzz would have been enormous and arguably the biggest NHL story since the Oilers traded Gretzky to the Los Angeles Kings.
Moving on could have been a great branding opportunity for McDavid to become even more mainstream, but he chose the safe, comfortable route in Edmonton. It’s a loyalty decision, and it’s completely understandable given that the Oilers have been close to a title in the last two years and he has built a bond with his teammates. For his legacy, though, he might need to chase greatness in a different city in the next two and a half years.
i mean it was only a 2 year extension after back to back Stanley Cup Finals appearances, i dont think anyone expected this slow of a start, only like 2 points out of a playoff spot with only Colorado and Dallas pulling away from the pack as they’re only 4 points behind the Ducks who lead the Pacific
this is Surprisingly a close race from the bottom of the league to most of the top teams, in the Eastern conference Last and 1st is a 9 point difference which was like 4-5 points 2 weeks ago, Standings are still kinda close around the league
Like west is harder if it was east I would be worry cause east is bad conference that any team could make it the west is tough to get in
They’ve started slow the last few seasons and still made it to the finals. They’ll be fine.
3 in row is too hard maybe if there in east yeah but to many good team in west
How did Colorado completely revamp its netminding midstream once they realized their goalies were not the answer? The Avalanche have been up against the cap for a number of years. Oilers GM & pro scouting better address this now, as it’s doing no one, including Skinner, any favours…
Meh… lots of speculation as to motives, loyalty, etc in this opinion piece, largely devoid of any “news” or reporting, and with the benefit of hindsight.
Yep that’s what writers do. If you want just facts, please go to Wikipedia and leave us alone.
While I still maintain that the benefit of hindsight is doing all the heavy lifting for this piece, my comment was unnecessarily harsh towards Josh so I apologize for that. He put in time and effort and I shouldn’t have gone at him like that.
Stuart Skinner Moment
In my native language, we have this proverb – After battle, everyone is General.
McDavid might not be the best player by the time he hits free agency. Mike Trout level loyalty to a fault.
Except McDavid has played in a lot more than 3 playoff games.
Only recently did I consider that McDavid might age more like Trout than Crosby and fall well short of 2,000.
Not sure he can stay elite if he loses his speed.
McDavid’s hands and vision make him elite even if he had Lucic’s footspeed
Maybe.
Beau Bennett had better hands than Crosby and Malkin combined. It didn’t matter.
Hand vision don’t mean noting you need to have high hockey iq like look at sid he still good cause he has high hockey iq
For me you need to have very high hockey iq if your getting older just like sid sure sid is older and not fast but his hockey iq is still high and mcdavid I don’t he might hage that high hockey iq if get to 35 and up tho
Sid was faster than he is now, but at no point has his game been based on speed.
McDavid’s game is being to do things at a pace no one else can match. Are his hands actually elite or are they elite at that speed, etc.? We won’t know until he slows down.
I was once sure McDavid would pass Sid no matter how many points 87 gets, but…watching how Trout has aged makes me less sure. He could tear his ACL next year and never be the same.
Beau Bennett was a plug. I’ve seen many players with good hands never even come close. McDavids hands are elite at any speed I watch every game. Yes the fact he can do things no one can do at a pace no one can match but he’s elite in nearly every area of the game similar to Sidney. I’m not certain he’ll pass Sidney. Crosby is one of the best ever to play the game and he’s won everything there is to win. McDavid has more pure skill than Crosby but he just can’t seem to drag that dumpster fire th oilers up to his level. That’s not entirely on him that team is based on him and Drai. Bouchard is a complete boat anchor and the rest of the team are 3rd liners and 6/7 d at best with a 1 B goalie as the starter. It’s sad but my team the oilers will lose mcdavid and not get a cup due to the mismanagement of the team. I do wish he woulda tested free agency or at least smacked Bowman for 20mil.
Easy to say that now. That’s also assuming the don’t make the playoffs this year. Hindsight is always 20/20 though I guess, right? Poor journalism.
I mean there in tough conference if there we’re in east there would of top team it’s just west is just to good and hard
I’ve focused on the part where they had Jesper Wallstedt fall into their lap and despite needing an elite goaltender to round out their star core, they bewilderingly gave him to Minny for nothing because it was an INSANE thing to do.
But, it was hardly their only chance to fix their flashing red light glaring issue, netminding.
I know that a few goalies that are considered mediocre (mostly erroneously) have won a few Cups lately but those are flukes.
Not EVER trying to give this group a great goalie (then one year wonder Jack Campbell was their best effort and that’s pathetic) is criminal.
I think the optimistic viewpoint is that both of the last two cup finals were close. You could conceivably talk yourself into a world where Edmonton wins both years with a couple fortunate puck bounces.
I think the pessimistic viewpoint is Florida just broke Edmonton. Emotionally, spiritually. You can see the frustration. It being close just makes it worse.
The truth is is probably somewhere between those two extremes. But the larger question if you’re McDavid, is this: who could he have joined the last two years that could have beaten Florida? And I think that question probably drove him to say, ‘let’s try one more time here.’ Because McDavid not having a cup the last two seasons probably has little to do with McDavid or Edmonton, and everything to do with a Panthers team just being that good and beating everyone.
Surely they’ll upgrade the goalie spot. And surely they’ll make the playoffs. And then we’ll see what happens with a field that won’t have a full strength Panther team. If they just get squashed by Colorado or whatever, then this article is probably correct. But we’ll see.
For me mcdavid should of wait it out for this year to put pressure on front office but he too nice but to give them 2 year and cheap cap hit to his fan base cause he don’t want to be like jt did to islander like if this team is bad next 2 years atleast oiler could trade him
Ironically, Jesper Wallstedt could still be the solution to their problem…
Offer Skinner and however many draft picks it takes to MIN for Gustavsson.
I’d love to sell Jarry, but that would insane for EDM to risk. Gustavsson has been excellent for years and even if he’s only above average that’s far better than this Oiler core has ever had.
I don’t care what sportswriters want. It’s not all about the headlines. If a great player wants to stay with the team that drafted him because he likes the city or doesn’t want to uproot his family, that’s fine with me. Why is it better to leave for a bigger market, or larger contract, or tax advantages or nicer golfing weather? The player’s happiness is all that matters.
Stan Bowman IS NOT the guy to get Edmonton to the next level, I still see McDavid playing with a Western Conference team in the U.S. by the summer of 2027.
Stan Blowman is an accountant from Notre Dame. His dad Scotty talked John McDonugh into making him the gm after Stan goofed up a couple of contracts not being presented to three players, thus making those players free agents. It’s been rumoured that Stan did it intentionally so Dale Tallon would get fired and his daddy talked McDonut into hiring his son. Stan Blowman is a horrible gm. Dale Tallon put that team rogether. Not Blowman. The players called downed to Florida and talked Tallon into coming back to Chicago to go on their pub run the night they won the first Cup
You are correct, As far as Dale Tallon building those great Hawks clubs, No question.
!00% true. Guess Katz just saw stanley cups wins. Got Bowman working cheap after He protected peophile. Like Chicago Oilers getting wose every year Bowman in charge. Why McDavid signed for two years not one. mystery to me.
“and MLB superstar pitcher Paul Skenes will likely follow suit one day”
MLB is a different animal since it doesn’t have a salary cap. Skenes’ Pirates team salary is a quarter of the Dodgers.
What a garbage hack piece….just say you from Torrona “bud”!
Welcome to the Dallas Stars Mcjesus !!!