We are just over a month away from the 2025-26 season getting underway, and the Edmonton Oilers and Connor McDavid have yet to agree on a contract extension. This is a situation that didn’t have many fans stressed out going into the summer, but it is starting to become rather worrisome to many within the Oilers fan base.
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Though McDavid has said several things indicating that he wants to remain with the Oilers beyond this coming season, his actions to this point, or perhaps lack thereof, have some thinking otherwise. While some within the organization remain confident a deal will get done, this is a situation that could see alarm bells sounding should the 28-year-old enter the season without a deal in place. If he winds up not signing an extension in Edmonton, these four reasons are likely why.
Goaltending Continues to Be an Issue
It’s no secret that the Achilles heel of this Oilers team is its goaltending. The rest of their roster, while having some holes as does every team, is loaded with talent. The proof is in the pudding given that they’ve been able to get to two Stanley Cup Finals, something many would argue they did in spite of their goaltending.
Neither Stuart Skinner nor Calvin Pickard were anything to write home about last season, and aside from a strong regular season as a rookie, Skinner hasn’t proven he’s a true number one at the NHL level. Still, the Oilers failed to address the issue yet again in the offseason and are set to run it back with their shaky tandem.
The even more frustrating part is that it isn’t just now that McDavid has had to deal with bad goaltending. Aside from a standout season in 2016-17 from Cam Talbot, he has played on a team that has given plenty of starts over the years to the likes of Mike Smith and Mikko Koskinen, neither of which were anything remotely close to a top-tier goalie.
Core Group Is Aging
Another potential doubt McDavid could be having when it comes to re-signing with the Oilers is whether or not they will truly give him the best chance to win, not just in the next two years but even longer down the road. After all, if he does indeed wind up signing a seven or eight-year deal, he’s going to do so with a team he believes will be competitive for a long time moving forward.
While the Oilers are certainly an elite team right now, their future could be bleak without the proper adjustments from their management group. Many of their core players are getting older and could see a drop off in production in the years to come. Take Mattias Ekholm, for example, who is their second-best defenceman but is now 35 years old.
Ekholm is far from the only player whose age will be a concern in the near future, either. Zach Hyman turned 33 years old this summer, while Ryan Nugent-Hopkins turned 32 in the spring. Those three are all huge contributors right now for the Oilers, but may no longer be two or three years down the road.
Lack of Youth in the System
While the aging core group wouldn’t be an issue with the right young pieces in place, the Oilers are lacking just that. After ignoring the issue for too long, management has since adjusted and is trying to right the ship, as indicated by the additions of two 21-year-olds in Isaac Howard and Matt Savoie.
While Howard and Savoie are great pieces, the Oilers don’t have any other top prospects to boast about. They didn’t have a first-round pick in the 2025 Draft, and currently don’t have one in 2026, either. In fact, they currently have just four picks for next year’s draft, after having just five this past year. The lack of picks and prospects, paired with the aging core group, could put the Oilers in a tough spot in the coming years.
Incompetent Management
The biggest issue, of course, and what has led to the other three issues above, is incompetent management. Peter Chiarelli, who served as McDavid’s first career NHL general manager (GM), made more mistakes than one could possibly think of. Though he hasn’t been in charge for years, his moves have set this franchise back in a big way.
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As for Ken Holland, his tenure had more successes, but plenty of mistakes, as well. He was never able to completely fix what was a very flawed roster, and, like this current management group, never wound up figuring out a solution between the pipes.
As for Stan Bowman, it isn’t fair to criticize his tenure just yet. There was, of course, the ugly offer sheet debacle of Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway, but that is more of a reflection on the Oilers’ past management regime, including brief-time interim GM Jeff Jackson, than it is of Bowman. Either way, that entire debacle is another big part of why McDavid is likely hesitant to stick around, as they lost two great young players for almost nothing whatsoever.
Oilers Fans Should Prepare for Stressful Time
Though it seems many Oilers fans remain confident that McDavid will sign an extension, that confidence has certainly taken a hit compared to the levels it was at a few months ago. Though there are conflicting reports, there are some NHL media members who believe an extension won’t be agreed upon before the beginning of the 2025-26 season. Should that be the case, Oilers fans will be a stressed-out bunch until a deal is reached.
