Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers reached a big date on Tuesday.
Because it’s July 1, McDavid is eligible for a new eight-year contract extension, if he wants one.
But things seem just a tad iffy, and fans on social media are already getting antsy. Well, except for Maple Leafs fans, who are already pitching the idea of McDavid choosing not to sign an extension and instead come to Toronto.
The first question hanging out there is contract length. Reports earlier in the offseason suggested McDavid may not even go for the full eight-year deal but rather a shorter four-year pact to get back to free agency when the salary cap has ballooned again.
The salary figure won’t be too difficult. McDavid deserves the NHL record for annual average value, so that’d probably be $15 million or more a year, to get up to $60 million in a four-year deal or the equivalent in a longer contract.
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But if McDavid truly didn’t want eight years, he could’ve signed an extension whenever.
And if he does, he could’ve already been close to signing it on Tuesday, but there have been no such reports.
The Oilers can’t afford to mess things up with the best player on the planet, so there will surely be plenty more to this story in the days ahead.
So far, the lack of news is concerning to the Edmonton fanbase. But they surely also don’t want bad news.
So fingers are crossed in Oilers nation that whatever comes next for McDavid is a step toward keeping him in blue and orange.
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