Connor McDavid Re-Signed With The Oilers. Do They Have Enough To Finally Win It All This Year?
The AAV of the two-year deal is $12.5 million.
The king of the NHL is staying right at home — Connor McDavid has re-signed with the Edmonton Oilers.
After yet another heartbreaking loss in the 2025 Stanley Cup Finals to the Florida Panthers, many league reporters and fans speculated whether McDavid would look elsewhere to chase a well-deserved title. But on Monday, that speculation ended when he signed a two-year deal with an average annual value (AAV) of $12.5 million.
This contract now has the fourth-highest AAV of anyone in the league, behind Krill Kaprisov (highest), Oilers teammate Leon Draisaitl, and Nathan MacKinnon.
McDavid posted his excitement about the deal on X.
Keeping a guy who is already drawing comparisons to Wayne Gretzky (for more than just playing for the same franchise) is a huge step towards chasing that elusive Stanley Cup. And with Florida’s Aleksander Barkov suffering an unfortunate (and season-ending) leg injury before the season began, the Oilers are now the favorite to win the title.
But do they have enough to get over the hump?
Having McDavid and Draisaitl to be the engine for the offense always helps. They are two of the most gifted players in the league. However, the list of high-octane offensive talent stops after them, Zach Hyman, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.
That’s not a great list of reliable offensive weapons, and the Oilers have a tough time generating offense if the two big guns are shut down. The Panthers did an excellent job of forcing McDavid to be uncomfortable in the Finals last year, and walked away with a title in large part because of that.
What’s even worse is that their goaltending has been an Achilles heel over the past several years. Whether it's Stuart Skinner or Calvin Pickard, Edmonton’s netminders have had flashes of brilliance to go along with equally lackluster play. That’s the area they need to address the most and, right now, the Oilers have not.
McDavid and Edmonton could easily waltz through another Western Conference bracket in the spring. But if they want to raise banner number six, they will have to get more scoring, better goaltending, or both.
McDavid won’t be around forever. The time is now to go for it all and reward his loyalty.