Connor McDavid’s contract extension with the Edmonton Oilers appears likely to be settled soon, with an announcement planned after Team Canada’s orientation camp (Aug 26–28) in Calgary and before Oilers captain skates and camp open in September. The buzz suggests a short-term pact—either two or four years—with an AAV in the neighborhood of $16 million to $17.5 million, effectively ruling out an eight-year deal this cycle. The timeline aligns McDavid with other extensions entertained in Oilers circles, including Mattias Ekholm, and even names like Vasily Podkolzin entering the same speculative orbit. Edmonton reportedly has more work to do in the coming 3–4 weeks to finalize the deal, a window in which cap considerations and roster planning will be tested. Stauffer’s late-July insinuations that extensions could land by Aug. 28 echo in the current chatter, making this summer one of the more consequential cap moves for both team and player in years. The Team Canada camp context — Olympic prep for 2026 in Italy — adds a layer of urgency for a clean, public contract, ensuring McDavid isn’t left with distractions when the season looms. The short-term path would keep McDavid’s elite production intact while preserving Oilers’ flexibility to shape the rest of the roster around him.

For fantasy managers, the upshot is clarity on McDavid’s near-term ceiling: a premium asset with a high floor who will be anchored by a manageable term rather than a marathon deal that limits team-building moves. The potential extension window could also influence Edmonton’s defense and supporting cast, given cap dynamics and the possibility of Ekholm’s deal in the same timeframe. Podkolzin’s name surfaces as a companion storyline in the “2 Mutts Hockey” chatter, signaling how top-end extensions can shape multiple rosters across the league. As Oilers brass navigate the next 3–4 weeks, every move will tilt both on-ice value and fantasy projections for the upcoming season, with McDavid’s AAV and term likely setting the tone for the league’s top-tier contracts.

In short, McDavid’s extension appears poised to be short-term and premium, with a late-August public reveal, and with Ekholm, Podkolzin, and others possibly factoring into the broader cap-ahead dialogue. The plan to announce before captain skates hints at a clean agenda: lock in McDavid’s immediate future, preserve Edmonton’s core, and keep room for strategic moves as the Oilers chase another deep run — all while fantasy managers recalibrate expectations around AAV, term, and surrounding talent.