Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl made it clear that he hopes for captain Connor McDavid to don the Blue and Orange for the rest of his career.
During the end-of-season media availability on Thursday, the topic of McDavid’s future in Edmonton was front and centre, given the fact that he didn’t firmly state that he is for sure going to stay. While there is little reason to believe that this ultimately won’t happen, this lingering doubt will likely hold firm in the minds of Oilers fans until the deal is made official.
“I’m going to be honest. I haven’t really talked to Connor about it yet,” Draisaitl said to reporters on whether he has talked to the captain about re-signing. “There comes a time where we talk about it, but there’s nothing that I can tell you right now that you want to hear or you need to hear. That’s his situation, and he will do what’s best for him and his family. Do I want him here forever? Yes, of course. I think everybody does. So there’s not much I can give you there.”
Of course, this isn’t the first time Draisaitl spoke publicly about his desire for McDavid to remain an Oiler. After he signed his eight-year extension last summer, Draisaitl said that he understands that McDavid will do what is best for him and his family, but admitted he would hope that the captain would follow in his footsteps of making a major commitment to the team.
One aspect that will play a factor in McDavid’s decision is picking a team he feels will give him the best chance to win and compete for the Stanley Cup. Having made it to two straight finals certainly gives Edmonton a good shot at retaining the superstar centre.
“I don’t necessarily think time is… I mean, time is always a factor, but our core is not old,” Draisaitl said. “Our core is probably in the prime right now in terms of maturity and experiences and all those things. We were an older team. Do we need to get a little bit younger? Maybe a little bit faster, maybe. But I think our core group is at an age where we got a lot of juice left. So hopefully we can continue to kick away at it.”
Although there is little reason to suggest that the captain will opt to pack his bags and leave the only NHL franchise he has ever known, the Oilers will still need to do their part in giving McDavid no reason to even consider what the grass is like on the other side. Whether that be through continuing to improve the roster or make calculated gambles, GM Stan Bowman will have his work cut out for him to make a foolproof case that Edmonton is the place to be.
One way that could help ensure the success of the team is by building enough depth surrounding the two cornerstones so that they can be split up on different lines. Draisaitl certainly hopes that this is the case, even though he enjoys sharing the ice with the captain.
“Yeah, I think ideally, we want to be driving our own lines, and we did for the most part this season,” he said. “I think that Connor and I obviously play extremely well together. I think it’s hard for coaches sometimes to look at their bench and be like, How can I not throw them out there together? How can I not give it a try, especially when you’re chasing or when you need a goal or something? In the long run, we’ve always said, I think driving our own lines is best, but I think it’s something that you just have to go to every once in a while.”
