McDavid signals a patient, long-term plan in Edmonton as two Cup Finals loom. Edmonton adds youth—Matt Savoie and Ike Howard—to the mix, potentially altering top-six dynamics and boosting fantasy upside around McDavid and Draisaitl.

Contract chatter lingers: a three- or four-year deal, or eight years, could anchor McDavid while the youth push shapes the lineup. For fantasy managers, Savoie and Howard could push the Oilers’ attack deeper, widening McDavid’s ceiling but raising risk if vets cede minutes.

Connor McDavid leads NHL 26 with a 97 OVR, boosted by 98 in Passing, Speed, and Offensive Awareness. Nathan MacKinnon and Leon Draisaitl sit at 96 OVR, while Nikita Kucherov also lands at 96 but trails McDavid in key stats. The top 10 also features Quinn Hughes, Cale Makar, Aleksander Barkov, Sidney Crosby, David Pastrnak and Connor Hellebuyck. The first batch of Heroes and Icons for Hockey Ultimate Team introduces players like Hemsky, Roenick, Tkachuk, Naslund, Blake, Chara, Chelios, Pronger, Lundqvist, Thornton, Fedorov and Selanne, with more to come during the season.

Fantasy players should map out cornerstone centers and elite defensemen early, leveraging McDavid as a season-long anchor while weighing the depth around Edmonton, Colorado, and Tampa Bay for stacking options. The Heroes and Icons boost HUT rosters across teams, offering fresh upside and new pairing possibilities as the season evolves.

Connor McDavid could become hockey's richest free agent next summer, but he won't rush an extension. He plans to win in Edmonton, take time with family and his team, and balance options as Edmonton reshapes after another Cup Final run. He enters the final year of an eight-year, $100 million deal and his 100-point season keeps him at the top of fantasy sheets, regardless of where he signs.

Leon Draisaitl pooled 33 playoff points with McDavid this past spring, underscoring their duo’s fantasy firepower. Edmonton’s offseason churn will test whether the core stays intact and how lines and PP units shift. For fantasy managers, the big question is whether McDavid stays in EDM long term, and how any cap moves impact surrounding Oilers stars in 2025-26.

Edmonton’s front office is eyeing two PTO options in Klim Kostin and Brett Leason, signaling a push for roster depth as Connor McDavid’s extension talk heats up. Kostin, a former Oiler, and Leason, a local Alberta product, could fill a winger slot if training camp opens with questions answered about McDavid’s future. Podkolzin remains a wild-card in Oilers’ plans, with a multi-year extension floated and cap-pressures weighed by young guns Isaac Howard and Matt Savoie, plus Andrew Mangiapane’s arrival. Rumors linger around McDavid, Eichel, and McTavish as front offices prepare for a busy summer of negotiations ahead of the 2025-26 season.

In this shifting landscape, fantasy managers should monitor how these moves pressurize Edmonton’s top-six, power play roles, and cap flexibility. Kostin and Leason could quietly become favorable depth options if they secure spots, while Podkolzin’s status could ripple through line combos and ice time in both regular-season and postseason rotations. The pipeline—Howard, Savoie, and Mangiapane—adds upside for opportunistic late-round picks and potential breakout candidates in dynasty formats.