The future of Connor McDavid with the Edmonton Oilers has been revealed by the team’s general manager, Stan Bowman.
The Oilers were bounced from the first round of this year’s Stanley Cup playoffs when they lost 4-2 in the best-of-seven series to their Pacific Division rivals, the Anaheim Ducks. Given that this team went to the Stanley Cup finals the last two years, seeing them lose in the first round was very surprising, and it puts McDavid’s future with the team in question. Former Oilers player Anson Carter even suggested the Oilers trade their superstar, since he doesn’t think the team is anywhere close to contending anytime soon.
GM Stan Bowman Reveals Connor McDavid’s Future in Edmonton
At the end-of-season media availability, Bowman, the Oilers’ GM, was asked what McDavid’s future with Edmonton is, and if the team would consider trading him. Here’s what Bowman said.
“We’re trying to win. We’re trying to find a way to win, and we’ve been doing that. Those questions (about being traded) are more for Connor as far as what his plans are and what his thoughts are,” Bowman said. “We’re on the same page as Connor. We want to win, too. All the moves that we make are geared towards winning the Cup next year. We’re not building for four years from now. So I think that it lines up in the same parallel path, where Connor wants to win, and we want to win. So that’s the way we look at it. We can only build this team up the best that we can with trades or signings or development of players from within. It’s all with the hopes that it’s going to take us to a better result than what we have now.”
Connor McDavid has Two Years Left on his Oilers’ Contract
Last October, McDavid signed a two-year extension in Edmonton for $25 million total. The deal was a below-market value contract designed to help the team have more money against the salary cap and to help try to improve the roster in other areas.
Unfortunately for the Oilers, they seem to have chewed up those savings already and don’t have much to show for it. The team signed depth players like Trent Frederic and Jake Walman to big-money, long-term deals that aren’t looking so hot right now. They also traded for the bloated contract of goalie Tristan Jarry, who was terrible in Edmonton. Overall, it looks like the money that McDavid gave up on his deal for the next two years has already been wasted.
The good news for the Oilers is that they do have the best hockey player in the world under contract for the next two years; they would be in a much worse situation if he were a free agent come July. But this is a big offseason for Bowman and the Oilers, as if they are going to take one last swing at a Stanley Cup championship, they have to nail every move they make going forward out of the park, or else their window of title contention could be over for good.
Connor McDavid’s Future With Oilers Revealed by Stan Bowman