As the echoes of Game 5 from the 2025 Stanley Cup Finals fade into memory, a new and unsettling story begins to take shape in Edmonton—one that could have far-reaching consequences for the Oilers and the entire NHL.

Connor McDavid, the franchise’s generational superstar, stands at the center of a contract saga that is rapidly becoming the league’s biggest off-ice drama.

With his extension unsigned and his comments hinting at every possibility from a short-term deal to no deal at all, the uncertainty is palpable.

Hockey insiders and analysts are sounding the alarm: McDavid’s contract situation is more than just a negotiation—it’s a potential distraction that could ripple through the Oilers’ locker room and beyond.

The impact isn’t limited to Edmonton, either. Superstars across the league are watching closely, their own futures tied to whatever salary McDavid ultimately commands.

But the real intrigue lies beneath the surface. How will this uncertainty affect the Oilers’ performance? Could a slow start or a disappointing season lead to finger-pointing—and will McDavid be the one under fire?

With speculation mounting and questions multiplying, the team faces a crossroads that could define its destiny for years to come. The answers remain elusive, and the stakes have never been higher.

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Hockey analyst and writer Michael Traikos of The Hockey News warns that Connor McDavid’s unsigned contract-extension could be a major distraction, possibly even detracting from the Oilers’ 2025-26 Stanley Cup run.

And the distraction is not only an internal one. Several big-name, pending free-agents around the league are likely waiting for McDavid to set the market: The annual salary on which Connor agrees will determine their own market-value in the NHL.

Yet, it’s the possible internal distractions that worry the Edmonton Oilers mostly, in particular following McDavid’s comments of ‘short-term, long-term, or no-term’, implying, of course, that the superstar may not sign with Edmonton at all before he becomes a UFA. It’s a very bleak possibility for the club.

Connor McDavid, however, said recently that it’s his teammates’ responsibility to remain focused, and not be distracted. Though players must remain professional, of course, they cannot shut-out the noise altogether; they will have opinions, and not all of them favourable.

That’s not the worst of it, though. Michael Traikos contends that a potential short-term affect of McDavid starting the season without a contract-extension is the team having a bad start, leading to undue blame falling on Connor’s shoulders, from fans and media alike.

Or worse, if Connor McDavid should begin the year underperforming, would his unsigned contract be blamed? This is all speculation, naturally; but that it’s in the media at all, before even one game has been played, is an indication of the potential for distraction.

Many analysts believe the current edition of the Oilers is worse than last year’s, and the one before that, leading to the likelihood of the Oilers having a sub-par campaign. Again, if this were to be the case, would Connor McDavid be blamed?

And worst of all would be that the Oilers actually do perform to its potential, and find that the team just isn’t good enough. Would this then factor into McDavid’s decision to proceed with a ‘no-term’ scenario, and consider leaving the Oilers? Rest assured, Oilers’ players are thinking this too; they’re respond to sentiment like anybody else.

There are too many questions that need answering, all of which lead to more speculation, and more and more distractions, it seems.