Here’s Who Actually Knows What’s Going On With McDavid’s Deal

The ongoing speculation around Connor McDavid’s next contract has reached a fever pitch, but how much of it is actually worth listening to? According to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, the answer might be: not much.

When one of the most trusted insiders in the business says that no insider really has the goods on what McDavid is about to do, you know he’s not making up stories for engagement or traffic. It pays when Friedman is first, but even he admitted in a recent piece and on his podcast that he has little concrete information to share on McDavid’s negotiations.

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That’s unusual for one of hockey’s most well-connected insiders, and it underscores an important point—very few people are actually in the room when it comes to these talks. Even here, the best we can do is curate opinions and information, then make what we believe to be logical reports and reactions.

We’re All Just Guessing on McDavid’s Contract

As news comes out that Kirill Kaprizov might have turned down $128 million, fans in Edmonton start to get a little concerned about what McDavid might cost. When it’s reported that McDavid going into the season without an extension is a real possibility, trade chatter starts to surface. The overreaction is the natural byproduct of a lack of clarity and a fear that the worst could happen.

However, outside of analysts dissecting McDavid’s use of the phrase “no term” — which might have been a Freudian slip — there hasn’t yet been a reason to worry that he won’t eventually sign another deal with the Oilers.

At present, only Oilers GM Stan Bowman, CEO and President (and McDavid’s former agent) Jeff Jackson, and McDavid’s agent Judd Moldaver know what’s going on. And, at this point, Bowman and Jackson might not know a whole lot, or they might be up to speed on almost everything. We don’t know that either. Everyone else, no matter how connected they say they are or how definitive they are in their reporting, isn’t a reliable source of information. They are taking educated guesses, at best.

People Will Keep the Rumors Going on McDavid

Twitter, Reddit, and even mainstream media have been flooded with “updates” that are really just shots in the dark about what comes next. Fans desperate for insight latch onto these crumbs, but the reality is clear: until one of the four central figures decides to leak something—or a deal is signed—no one outside that inner circle knows the truth.

The takeaway for fans is simple: treat every new “report” about McDavid’s future with a grain of salt. If you hear he’s leaving, understand that those reports are likely being stirred up by fans in other markets, not anyone linked to McDavid. So too, if you hear he’s staying, that’s probably an Edmonton-based report hoping for good news.

Whether he signs long-term, short-term, or delays a decision altogether, the direction will come directly from McDavid and his camp, nowhere else.

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