Connor McDavid Is Committed But Realistic About Future With Oilers
Toronto Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews is now the NHL's highest-paid player, but the guy who might top him next is Edmonton Oilers captain and overall scoring machine Connor McDavid.
There are three seasons left on McDavid's current deal. In a recent interview with Canada's Sportnet, McDavid continued to voice his commitment to bring a cup to Edmonton for the first time since 1990.
But when it comes to whether or not he was going to sign an extension, he was realistic, which may cause some Oilers fans to start sweating a little bit.
McDavid discussed how the Oilers are preparing to take another run at the Cup after bowing out of the Playoffs last season following a second-round loss to the eventual champs, the Vegas Golden Knights.
“You’ve got to learn how to lose. You’ve got to learn how to win as well. I think we know how to do both. So just being able to gather ourselves here in the summer, get to work and know what we’re coming back here to do," McDavid told Sportsnet's Mark Spector. “And that’s win the Cup.”
That's all well and good. You know he's going to try to do whatever he can to get the job done.
But...
McDavid Honest About His Future In Edmonton
What McDavid said after being asked about signing an extension with Edmonton will make the team really want to make sure they win a cup sooner rather than later.
“I love playing in Edmonton, and I really feel at home there. Lauren loves being in Edmonton. There are a lot – a lot — of things that check the boxes for us in Edmonton. We’re super comfortable there,” McDavid said. “But with that all being said, it’s three years down the road. We’ve got to kind of see where our lives are at and kind of go from there.
“I don’t say that to raise eyebrows or cause panic," he said, which probably raised eyebrows and caused panic anyway. "It’s just the way that it is. But I love playing in Edmonton, I’m 100 percent committed to winning in Edmonton with this group…
“And we’re gonna see it through.”
A lot can happen in three years. The state of the Oilers organization could change a lot in that time. McDavid is going to be worth a heck of a bag of cash wherever he signs.
So, if he doesn't think he can win with the Oilers, it wouldn't be shocking to see him look elsewhere.
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