For Colorado Avalanche fans still holding onto the faint hope of a future Connor McDavid landing, the latest chatter out of Edmonton doesn’t just cool the idea—it quietly shuts the door on a Western Conference fantasy that never fully felt realistic in the first place.
For Colorado Avalanche fans still quietly wondering whether Connor McDavid could ever find his way to Denver, the latest noise out of Edmonton all but shuts the door on that fantasy and instead points toward a long-term future that keeps arguably hockey’s most dangerous player right where he is.
McDavid’s Edmonton Commitment Gains Momentum
On a recent appearance on Sportsnet 590 The FAN, Oilers insider Bob Stauffer poured cold water on any speculation of an impending McDavid exit and made his expectations for the superstar’s next deal crystal clear.
“I don’t think there’s anybody more committed to Edmonton than Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl,” said Bob Stauffer. “I expect the next contract McDavid signs to be a seven-year extension. I remind your viewers that’s the max term length carrying over with the little adjustment to the CBA.”
That projection, if it materializes, would effectively keep Connor McDavid in Edmonton deep into the back half of his prime, alongside longtime teammate Leon Draisaitl—a pairing that continues to anchor the franchise’s identity.
Leadership Buy-In and the Babcock Factor
Much of the current conversation in Edmonton has been fueled by the expected hiring of Mike Babcock, a move that is still awaiting final procedural clearance but is widely believed to be imminent.
Babcock’s return to the NHL has reignited debate around coaching style, player empowerment, and how modern locker rooms function—especially given his controversial exit from previous roles. Still, Stauffer emphasized organizational alignment across the board.
“You empower to get players involved, that’s the way of the future,” said Stauffer.
“It’s already been occurring for years in the NBA. Josh Allen, was he part of the selection process Terry Pegula with the Buffalo Bills? I bet he was. When you empower the players, I think you get greater conviction from them.
“The players have never been a bigger part of the partnership of the league. From ownership to management to the players, everybody’s 100 per cent with Mike Babcock.”
McDavid’s Value Keeps Rising in Real Time
McDavid, fresh off his fifth Ted Lindsay Award as the NHL’s most outstanding player, remains under a team-friendly two-year extension worth $12.5 million annually—a deal that already felt like a discount the moment it was signed.
With the expectation now shifting toward a far richer long-term commitment, the Oilers appear intent on locking in their franchise cornerstone for the foreseeable future, removing any lingering hope outside markets like Colorado that a future blockbuster exit could ever materialize.
