Before Connor McDavid signed his extension in Edmonton, teams were eager to see what he'd do. Did the Oilers ever get an official trade offer?
Had they gotten an offer, the Edmonton Oilers likely wouldn't have entertained the idea of a trade. Teams were eagerly waiting, many probably hoping the superstar would decide not to re-sign, but no one had the gall to call the Oilers and put a package together.
According to reports, CEO Jeff Jackson confirmed that trade offer never came Edmonton's way.
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Despite offseason speculation, McDavid was never the target of an official trade offer, according to Jackson. Speaking to TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun, Jackson said, “No. I mean, I think there were lots of teams that were maybe looking at it and wondering, ‘What’s going to happen there?’ But ultimately, there was no trade offer, and we weren’t thinking that at all.”
The 28-year-old centre recently signed a two-year, $25 million extension with Edmonton, keeping his $12.5 million AAV despite the rising NHL salary cap. He wanted to open the window to win a little wider, opting to put the speculation aside for at least two seasons before reevaluating his free agency situation.
McDavid put a bit of a scare into Oilers fans over the summer when he remained non-committal following the Oilers’ second consecutive Stanley Cup Final loss to the Florida Panthers. Ultimately, he turned around just hours before the regular season began and took one of the most significant team-friendly discounts in recent memory, shocking the Oilers and likely many other NHL teams.
Essentially, McDavid bridged the Oilers with his deal, but Jackson insisted that McDavid’s short-term deal doesn’t add pressure to push the team to the next level immediately. They were focused on doing anything they could to win anyway, and going all in was a given.
Jackson said, “I think you’re always on the clock. That’s the way it is. That’s natural for that conclusion to be drawn. When I took the job two years ago, I said we have to be a very competitive team, with an opportunity to compete for the Cup, to make sure that we keep Connor and Leon [Draisaitl] and the core. So, it’s no different."
Jackson then downplayed how McDavid's deal changes Edmonton's plans over the next couple of seasons. "He’s not taking $12.5 million for an extended period of time. So, it’s a decision he made in the short term so that we have three years at $12.5 million, and yeah, our goal is to continue to be a good team and be there at the end. His deal doesn’t change that."
Perhaps that's not giving the deal the credit it deserves, but he's correct for this season. McDavid's extension doesn't change what the Oilers would have or could have done in 2025-26.
The Oilers will try to find the best ways to improve the team, filling holes as they need to. The good news is, they're off to a solid start, as is McDavid. He has four assists in three games, as the Oilers sit 2-0-1.
In many ways, McDavid is the Oilers. Any trade offer, if it had come, would have had to have been so large that there was no way it was going to remain a secret.
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