Contract discussions between Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers remain ongoing as the team prepares for Wednesday’s home opener against the Calgary Flames.
The team took to the ice Sunday morning for a practice, and several key executives were in attendance, including GM Stan Bowman (who is often present) and CEO Jeff Jackson (which is somewhat more rare).
That doesn't necessarily mean an announcement of some kind is imminent.
According to TSN’s Ryan Rishaug, dialogue between the two sides is expected “over the next day or so,” but as of Sunday, no decision has been made and no press conference is planned for Monday. Rishaug added that “this could very much still go either way” before the puck drops on the regular season.
Rishaug adds that McDavid and his agent, Judd Moldaver, have taken a “methodical approach” throughout the process, a stance that continues even with the season about to begin.
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Meanwhile, Oilers broadcaster Bob Stauffer believes there’s “an outside chance” McDavid could sign before the start of the regular season. That means it would likely need to happen on Monday or Tuesday, as it feels like a stretch for the Oilers to make that announcement on the morning of the season opener.
Fans are starting to get antsy as the season approaches and there's no sign of a McDavid deal. Many were holding onto the idea that some "secretive media conference" was actually happening Monday and that a McDavid extension would be announced there.
The Oilers have not issued a release instructing the media to be available. The only news we've gotten to date is that the "players are off" on Monday, and there is nothing scheduled on that day at all in the building. Could that change? Perhaps. As of now, nothing is set.
At this point, any news about a media conference taking place feels like a statement from one source that has caught fire and become a story.
If that suddenly changes — which is possible given the size of the potential news and how quickly all parties would need to organize an announcement — we'll be sure to provide updates as they become available.
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