Connor McDavid's Uncertain Future with Edmonton Oilers

SportsGrid

Watch Connor McDavid's Uncertain Future with Edmonton Oilers - SportsGrid on Dailymotion

Transcript

00:00Edmonton is an interesting story, Tom, because you saw it, I saw it, most of the hockey world saw it.

00:06McDavid, in the exit interview with the Edmonton media on Thursday,

00:11kind of not exactly saying he's like 100% committed to his future in Edmonton.

00:18Now he said he's got unfinished business there, he thinks the team's good enough to win.

00:22But Tom, one year left on his deal, has not signed an extension yet.

00:27They've given dry sidle money.

00:29I don't think it's a question, Tom, of if Edmonton will pay him.

00:31I'm sure they're going to say whatever you want here.

00:34Does he want to continue after one more year in Edmonton?

00:38I'm not so sure.

00:39And if he doesn't, Tom, and you don't get the commitment, if you're the Oilers,

00:43you've got to start thinking about it, as much as they don't want to hear it.

00:46You've got to think about what you can get for them.

00:48It's true.

00:49And, you know, it really comes down to, again, it's not the money.

00:52If he wants, again, with the cap jumping up, he wants 14, 15,

00:55they're going to offer him 16 or vice versa, whatever it might be.

00:57Like, deep down, McDavid will know, probably by the start of next season,

01:01I guess we could say, like, deep down, he knows if he's going to sign an extension.

01:04And I would say this comes down to what moves they make in the offseason.

01:08Do they fix the holes that, you know, he thinks they have?

01:11Do they make a change of goal?

01:12Whatever it might be.

01:12Because if they're not willing to do that, he's going to know deep down,

01:16I'm going to leave after, you know, the upcoming season.

01:19And or I need to tell them they're going to trade.

01:21They're going to say, like, oh, McDavid's, like, untradeable.

01:23Like, listen, Gretzky got traded.

01:25Like, it's not just the same franchise.

01:27But if that player can be traded, anyone can be traded.

01:29So I think that McDavid will know come October 1st,

01:32when the season's ready to roll, whether or not he's going to stay.

01:35And then it's whether or not he indicates that to the Oilers overall.

01:40It's a very, very sticky situation.

01:43If you're at – because it is.

01:44Like you said, you don't want to – nobody wants to trade Conor McDavid.

01:48Nobody wants the best player in the game.

01:51But you also have to weigh that.

01:53Man, is he definitely coming back here?

01:55Has he given us an indication that –

01:57I'll tell you, listening to him with that little pause yesterday,

02:00saying, what, you know, I think what's best for me and my family,

02:04that's scary.

02:05Here's the question.

02:06Here's the question.

02:07Let's say he doesn't indicate at the beginning of the season.

02:09I'm thinking, let's say we get to, you know,

02:12start of the new year, January 1st.

02:13They're staying in first place.

02:14Things are cruising.

02:16Like, he's going to be like, we're in first place.

02:17We're not talking about it.

02:18I will deal with that when it comes.

02:20And then, you know, they crash out in the playoffs.

02:24And then it's like, okay, we didn't take care of it

02:25because McDavid said let's focus on the season.

02:27And now the season's over,

02:28and now we don't have an indication either way.

02:30Like, that is what I could see happening.

02:32Look, I know that this is probably too fast of a timeline,

02:36but it's kind of a situation that if I'm the Oilers,

02:40like, I kind of want it decided by, like, July 1st.

02:44Like, I want it decided in the next couple weeks.

02:46Like, because you know when the most value for trading someone is.

02:50It's for an entire season and going into, you know,

02:54free agency, the draft, things like that.

02:56Man, I'd hate to be those guys right now running the Oilers.

03:00That's for sure.

Category

Transcript

Recommended