CALGARY — Connor McDavid said Wednesday he wants to take his time regarding his future with the Edmonton Oilers heading into the final season of his contract, but that he has “every intention to win in Edmonton.”

The Oilers captain signed an eight-year, $100 million contract (average annual value $12.5 million) with Edmonton on July 5, 2017. He can become an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season.

“I said at the end of June I had every intention to take my time with it and I still feel the same way,” McDavid said. “I’ll take my time and go through everything. I have every intention to win in Edmonton. It’s my only focus, maybe next to winning a gold medal with Canada.

“I’ll take my time going through it with my family, my agent and everybody involved. We’re going through it slowly.”

McDavid, attending the Canada Men’s Olympic Orientation Camp for the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 in February, said discussions on a new contract with the Oilers have yet to begin.

“All options are on the table really,” McDavid said. “We’re going through it. I don’t have a preference either way. I want to the group to be as focused and dialed in and ready to roll from Day 1 as much as possible and we don’t need any distractions.

“I’m going to take my time with it and that’s it.”

Jeff Jackson, McDavid’s former agent who is now Oilers CEO and president of hockey for Edmonton, and general manager Stan Bowman will be negotiating on behalf of the organization.

“It’s not going to be a long negotiation,” Jackson told “The Sheet” on Daily Faceoff on Monday. “I think that it’ll be unlike any other negotiation, because it’s not really, and I think when Connor is ready, we’ll have the discussion, and we’ll get a deal done.”

McDavid is entering his 11th season with Edmonton. The 28-year-old had 100 points (26 goals, 74 assists) in 67 games last season and 33 points (seven goals, 26 assists) in 22 Stanley Cup Playoff games. The Oilers lost the Stanley Cup Final in six games to the Florida Panthers, one year after losing to the Panthers in seven game.s

The No. 1 pick in the 2015 NHL Draft is a three-time Hart Trophy winner voted as the League’s most valuable player (2017, 2021, 2023) and a four-time Ted Lindsay Award winner as the most outstanding player voted on by his peers (2017, 2018, 2021, 2023). He won the Art Ross Trophy as NHL top scorer five times (2017, 2018, 2021, 2022, 2023) and the 2023 Rocket Richard Trophy as top goal-scorer.

McDavid was voted the Conn Smythe Trophy winner as MVP of the 2024 playoffs. He has eight seasons of at least 100 points and is the fourth-fastest player to 1,000 points (659 games), behind Wayne Gretzky (424), Mario Lemieux (513) and Mike Bossy (656).

Barring injury, McDavid is expected to play in his first Olympic Games for Canada. NHL players have not participated in the Winter Olympics since Sochi in 2014.

He scored 8:18 into overtime to defeat the United States 3-2 in the championship game of the 4 Nations Face-Off on Feb. 20.

The Oilers open training camp Sept. 17 and begin the regular season against the Calgary Flames at Rogers Place on Oct. 8.