Will Connor McDavid sign a contract extension with the Edmonton Oilers?
He wasn't dismissive or avoidant, but Connor McDavid didn't exactly inspire feelings of comfort and warm fuzzies in the Edmonton Oilers fan base when asked about a possible contract extension this off-season.
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After 10 years in the NHL, all spent with the same club that drafted him first overall in 2015, and with zero Stanley Cups to show for his time here so far, McDavid will be hitting the final year of his current contract on Friday.
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And that means the Oilers will be looking to lock him up to another long-term deal with an extension. One that, ideally, for the club's sake, anyway, will continue on through the remainder of the 28-year-old's prime years.
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It's the hockey story of the summer, for anyone who might not have been paying attention.
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So, will he stay or will he go? Obviously, he still has one more year in Edmonton before he absolutely must make a decision. So, it's not like we'll see him in a blue Maple Leaf come September. (Or ever).
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And chances are he will stay. His wife opened a business or two in the Alberta capital, after all. And he's got a billionaire owner on his side, not to mention a city that adores the ground he walks on. (Or is it water?)
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But if that's the case, then what was with all the talk about doing what's best for his family, and making it sound like there are even any other options out there for him to consider to begin with?
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Maybe we're reading into it a little too much.
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Here it is, straight from the horse's mouth. (Make that a thoroughbred unlike any seen in an entire generation):
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'This core has been together for a long time and we've been building to this moment all along. The work that's gone on behind the scenes, the endless disappointments and some good times along the way, obviously. We're all in this together trying to get it over that finish line,' McDavid said during his exit interview last week. 'With that being said, ultimately, I still need to do what's best for me and my family. That's who you have to take care of, first. But of course there is unfinished business here.
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'I'll take some time to re-group, talk to my agent and family and make some decisions whenever that time comes. There's no rush.'
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He said it. 'Unfinished business.' Which is exactly what Oilers fans feel themselves, and wanted to hear.
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But he also said: 'Endless disappointments.' And, 'what's best for me,' which isn't exactly blowing off the question and stating definitively he wants to remain in orange and blue for another decade.
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