McDavid’s “No Term” Remark Means Oilers Face Uncomfortable Reality

Connor McDavid spoke with the media again on Friday, saying many of the same things he said on Thursday. He intends to win in Edmonton; he’s taking his time with his decision on a contract extension, and he doesn’t believe his situation will be a distraction for the Oilers.

On Friday, however, McDavid said something else that was interesting. It might have been a slip, or an unintentional misspeaking, but he hinted as he said all options are on the table regarding term. Even “no term” was an option.

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When asked by Jason Gregor of Sports 1440 if part of the decision he’s working to make includes what term to sign for and if a shorter term is a better option, McDavid said term, like many other factors, comes into it.

His exact words were, “All options are on the table. That would mean length of term. Short term. Long term. No term.”

That last part has to be a bit concerning for Oilers fans.

Is Not Signing Again Something McDavid Is Considering?

“No term” essentially means he’s going to let his current contract run out. He’s got this season remaining at $12.5 million and then he’s an unrestricted free agent. The thought he might go into the year unsigned is already a reality people are coming to grips with. Could he be honestly thinking that he’ll ride out the entire season and get to July 1 without a new deal?

Most believe the odds of “no term” are slim to none. However, he said it. Some believe that he wouldn’t have it if the thought hadn’t crossed his mind. If that’s something he leans toward, the Oilers will have a difficult decision to make.

They can’t let him play out the year with no extension. The risk of what they could be giving up is too great.

Word around the Oilers is that they aren’t worried. McDavid seems like he’s just going through different scenarios before making his decision and approaching the team to finalize things. Still, the more he talks about it, the more times something comes out that was either not meant to be taken that way or wasn’t meant to be said out loud. This might have been one of those times, even if the comment seemed to go unnoticed by many.

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