The buzz about Connor McDavid's future has taken over the hockey world, and it's spilled out into everyday life.

The Oilers captain's contract negotiations caught the attention of Canadian prime minister and diehard fan Mark Carney, who chimed in on the matter with some dry-wit humor during a press conference in Edmonton on Wednesday.

"We are in a crisis, the global trading system has been upended, supply chains have been destroyed, McDavid is unsigned," Carney said. "This is not a transition. This is a rupture. As in times like these, you have to draw back in, remember what you have: Draisaitl, Hyman, Nugent-Hopkins... We gotta draw on those strengths. We gotta draw on those values."

While the hockey world waits for his next move, local media and Oilers brass say they're confident in him extending and clearly feel it's only a matter of time.

As for Oilers fans, there's a sentiment of just wanting him to sign so that fans of other markets can stop suggesting he wants to leave the only NHL home he's known.

Until McDavid signs, his contract status will be as big a topic as the Oilers' on-ice season performance and roster changes going into the 2025-26 season, where this team looks to finish the job and end Canada's Stanley Cup drought.

As for McDavid, all options are on the table, and he made it clear he won't rush a decision as he tries to figure out what works best for him and his family.

"When you're trying to plan the next three, four, seven, nine years of your life, you don't just dream it up in one day, you take your time, talk it over, think about it some more, talk it over again," McDavid said. "It's not something that I take lightly. It’s not something that my family takes lightly."

Avry Lewis-McDougall gets into more examples of the hype in and out of Edmonton in his video column.

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