Insider Drops Another Troubling McDavid Update for Oilers Fans

Connor McDavid's media conference this past week has everyone trying to decipher what he meant by saying he was going to continue to take his time before signing an extension with the Edmonton Oilers. All the while, still saying his goal is to "win in Edmonton."

The latest update on this front comes from veteran hockey insider John Shannon, who said on his 100% Hockey podcast (h/t David Staples of the Edmonton Journal) that McDavid will NOT be signing an extension before the 2025-26 season.

It’s not going to be announced in training camp. He’s going to go into the regular season without a new contract.
I think he’s in a position to manage the situation and make sure that the club is in the right frame of mind for him… As long as Connor can weather the storm of answering questions and he’ll manage that in camp, then take your time and do it right and make sure that everybody’s on the same page. Because quite frankly the negotiations haven’t really started yet.

As for "weathering the storm", that will certainly be a factor, as until McDavid signs an extension—for whatever term he's considering—the media won't stop peppering him with questions about it. It's one of the factors that led many pundits to suggest that he would sign something before camp began. But now it doesn't sound like that's going to happen.

People in Edmonton are 'holding their breath' over lack of McDavid extension

Of course, this development will send shivers down the spines of Oilers fans everywhere, not to mention team management.

“There are people in Edmonton holding their breath,” added Shannon. “I think there’s people in the Oilers office holding their breath.”

When they'll be able to breathe again is anybody's guess.

Insider Elliotte Friedman threw in his two cents earlier this week after the McDavid comments, suggesting that McJesus sees "something imperfect" with the Oilers, and wants to see if/how that gets resolved.