There’s been a lot of chatter about Connor McDavid’s future lately, especially since he’s heading into the last season of his eight-year, $100 million contract. Since extension eligibility kicked off on July 1, his choice to stay non-committal has sparked a lot of chatter around the NHL. It looks like a lot of teams are getting ready for the possibility of McDavid hitting free agency or being traded in 2026.

These rumors really picked up steam when the Oilers captain said something after losing a second Stanley Cup final to the Florida Panthers. He mentioned, “I’m not in a rush to make any decision, so I don’t think that there needs to be any timeline. I know people are going to look at July 1 and will be looking to see if there’s anything done. But for me, no, I’m just not in a rush in that way.” The delay in talks has particularly fueled conjecture, with some insiders noting no extension discussions have occurred yet—raising questions about whether the Oilers will lose their franchise cornerstone.

So, it turns out these rumors have been addressed by Oilers GM Stan Bowman. He shared his thoughts, saying, “Connor’s the best player in the League, the most important player in the League, he’s our captain, he’s our leader and certainly he’s a No. 1 priority. I think listening to Connor’s take on things, he’s earned the right for us to be respectful of his time.” With all the buzz around the Connor McDavid situation, there’s some exciting news coming from the Oilers’ bench about the team’s future stars.

As reported by the NHL, coach Kris Knoblauch recently highlighted their up-and-coming star Matt Savoie, saying, “With Savoie, the one thing that I’m very optimistic about is penalty kill and how good he was in Bakersfield in that role. He didn’t have any penalty-kill time when he was with us [four game call-up] but certainly, we saw him being a reliable two-way player at 5-on-5. The opportunity for Savoie is on the penalty kill, not that he can’t be on the power play, but I definitely see him being a big part of our penalty kill.”

Knoblauch’s comments really highlight a clear push to strengthen the team’s defense by bringing in some younger players. Savoie has shown off his skills on both ends of the ice while playing for the Bakersfield Condors in the AHL, and he seems ready to carry that same level of consistency over to the NHL roster in Edmonton. His ability to kill penalties comes at just the right moment for a team that struggled with special teams in the playoffs.

With all the questions swirling around McDavid’s future, Knoblauch’s support for Savoie brings a bit of comfort: it shows that Edmonton is working on building strength and depth beyond just their superstar. Regardless of whether McDavid stays or goes, the rise of talent like Savoie shows that the Oilers are building a solid foundation for a future that goes beyond just one player. But with all the buzz happening, a seasoned reporter gave Edmonton fans a bit of a breather.

His take on Connor McDavid’s future with the Oilers

Recently, veteran broadcaster Gene Principe, who’s been a reliable voice for Oilers fans, has jumped in to calm everyone down about Connor McDavid’s future. He addressed all that buzz around his contract situation. Once McDavid shared his thoughts, saying, “Ultimately, I still need to do what’s best for me and my family” and requested fans to be patient, a lot of people took this as a hint that he could be considering a departure.

Principe explained on the Spittin’ Chiclets podcast that McDavid’s real message was about sticking around for the long haul. He mentioned, “You know, one of the great questions that he answered was a message to the fans, and he spoke of how difficult it’s been, but how enjoyable it’s been. And he said, you know? Stick with us because for all of us, it’s going to pay off. To me, that was, ‘I’m saying to you and to everybody, stick with it. We got this. We’re going to get this.’”

Principe thinks that the emotional impact of losing two straight Stanley Cup Finals might have led to some deep thinking, but he feels that McDavid’s message was more about reassurance than giving up. By looking at McDavid’s comments this way, Principe has really eased a lot of the worries fans had. He thinks an extension is pretty likely and that McDavid’s emotional appeal was intended to keep the fanbase grounded during a tough offseason.