Connor McDavid rumors: Top insider says Oilers are "flummoxed" due to lack of advancement in extension talks with superstar

NHL insider Frank Seravalli believes the Edmonton Oilers are “flummoxed” by how slowly contract talks are moving with Connor McDavid. McDavid is entering the final season of his eight-year, $100 million deal and became eligible to sign an extension this summer. But so far, there’s been little progress.

Speaking at Team Canada’s orientation camp last week, McDavid reiterated that his focus remains on winning in Edmonton, while also admitting he plans to take his time with any decision.

Seravalli broke down the situation on Tuesday's episode of "Insider Notebook.". He noted that McDavid’s comments were his first public remarks on the contract since Edmonton’s breakup day after losing in the Stanley Cup Final.

“He wants to win in Edmonton, but I viewed these comments as sort of the first public commentary from McDavid on this subject since the end of last season and Edmonton Oilers breakup day following their loss in the Stanley Cup Final, sort of as a trial balloon,” Seravalli said. (1:25 onwards)

Seravalli added that it’s unlikely McDavid signs before training camp opens on September 15, though he acknowledged things could change quickly if the captain suddenly decided he was ready to commit.

“I think the Edmonton Oilers as a whole are a little bit flummoxed as to why this has kind of taken so long. There hasn't really been too much engagement. They haven't talked numbers or anything like that in terms of advancing the conversation forward.” He added.

The insider stressed there’s no deadline forcing the issue, and Connor McDavid himself has said he wants to go slowly. For now, the expectation is that the Oilers’ captain is carefully weighing his long-term future, per Seravalli.

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Frank Seravalli on what Connor McDavid wants

Frank Seravalli believes that Connor McDavid’s decision will ultimately come down to where he feels he has the best chance to win long term. With parts of the Oilers’ core starting to age, that’s something he has to weigh carefully.

“He's going to go through this discernment process and maybe on the other end of it, he signs a three or a four-year deal or maybe he gets to the end of this upcoming season, says, "Hey, we just got to another cup final or we just won the Stanley Cup or whatever it might be,” Seravalli said.

Seravalli notes that the challenge for the Oilers is that there’s not much they can do in the short term to sway Connor McDavid other than hoping new additions Matt Savoie and Issac Howard quickly become impact players. Until then, McDavid is taking his time, going through a careful decision-making process.