EDMONTON — Connor McDavid is taking his time deciding his future with the Edmonton Oilers and one big reason is he wants his next contract to work on a number of fronts.

Going into the final season of the eight-year, $100 million contract ($12.5 million average annual value) he signed with Edmonton on July 5, 2017, the Oilers captain said Friday he is looking at what is best for himself and his family with the best opportunity to win the Stanley Cup.

It’s not necessarily an easy puzzle to piece together.

“I’m trying to come up with a solution for everybody,” McDavid said after an Oilers captain’s practice. “I put everything I have into this and deserve to be paid what I feel is fair. With that being said, there is a salary cap and my only desire is to win, so trying to figure out that balance is tricky.”

McDavid came close to winning the Stanley Cup the past two seasons, leading Edmonton to the Final only to lose to the Florida Panthers on each occasion.

Edmonton is expected to contend for the Cup again this season, which is as far as McDavid is currently looking. Beyond that, everything is still up in the air.

He has been eligible to sign a new contract with Edmonton since July 1, but he has reiterated several times since that’s it’s not a decision he’s going to rush into.

“When you’re trying to plan the next three, four, seven, nine years of your life, you don’t just dream it up in one day, you take your time, talk it over, think about it some more, talk it over again,” McDavid said. “It’s not something that I take lightly, it’s not something that my family takes lightly. I’ve put everything I have into my career, just like everybody here. You only get one chance to do it and to do it right and that leads to taking your time with it and that’s where it’s at.”

Since coming into the NHL for the 2015-16 season, McDavid has been a superstar and top-flight scorer. He’s won the Art Ross Trophy as top point-scorer in the NHL five times, the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy as the League’s leading goal-scorer once, the Hart Trophy as the NHL MVP three times, the Ted Lindsay Award as most outstanding player as voted by the NHLPA four times, and Conn Smythe Trophy as Stanley Cup Playoffs MVP once.

In 712 regular-season games, he has 1,082 points (361 goals, 721 assists), but the Stanley Cup has eluded him.

The Oilers lost to the Panthers in six games in the Final last season and seven games in 2024 after battling back from a 3-0 deficit in the best-of-7 series.

Going into his 11th NHL season, he is confident the championship window is still open in Edmonton.

“Mostly just the experience of it all, the core guys are still here,” McDavid said. “Maybe a couple of changes here and there, but the core guys that have made a few runs at it are here and know what it takes and know what that disappointment feels like and how motivated we are. That gives me lots of confidence in this season. Beyond that, it remains to be seen.”

McDavid has been a fixture in Edmonton since being selected by the Oilers No. 1 in the 2015 NHL Draft and the thought of him playing elsewhere next season and beyond would seemingly increase the level of anxiety in the organization and around the city.

Yet McDavid does not believe the uncertainty of his future will prove a distraction for the Oilers this season.

“If guys can’t play hockey because people are talking outside the room, this is probably not the line of work for you,” McDavid said. “It’s a loud market, it’s a story, sure, but we’ve played through coaching changes, GM changes, winning streaks, freezing cold streaks where we can’t win a game and it’s just as loud.

“It’s (media’s) job to talk and to write stories and everybody understands that and it’s our job to play hockey. If we can’t do our job because you guys have to do your job then what are we really doing here?”

Edmonton opens training camp Sept. 17, and hosts the Calgary Flames on Oct. 8 in its season opener, giving McDavid time to make a decision before the start of the season.

With the NHL salary cap increasing from $88 million last season to $95.5 million for this season, $104 million for 2026-27 and $113.5 million for 2027-28, a shorter-term contract may be more viable for McDavid.

“All options are on the table and that would mean length of term, short term, long term, no term,” he said. “All options are on the table as I’ve alluded to, so that would include a short-term deal.”

At this point, any deal would be a relief to Oilers fans, but McDavid’s immediate focus is on the upcoming season.

Despite all he has accomplished with the Oilers, McDavid still feels he has something to prove.

“Everybody always has something to prove and I’m no different. It’s a new year, a new season for everybody and I’m excited to get going,” McDavid said. “I’m excited to get back to a level I can play at. I say I have a lot to prove, everybody does, and I do too and I’m excited about that opportunity.”