Oilers CEO Jeff Jackson is confident team will extend Connor McDavid

Connor McDavid officially became eligible to sign a new contract on July 1. But to this day, he has still yet to come to terms with the Edmonton Oilers.

But when the discussions do begin, don’t expect them to drag on too long. That’s because Oilers CEO Jeff Jackson believes the next deal “won’t be like any other negotiation.”

Jackson joined Jeff Marek, host of Daily Faceoff’s The Sheet, for an exclusive interview last week in Muskoka, Ont., as part of Marek’s new series, On The Road, that will debut in September. During the discussion, the pair talked about the future of No. 97 in Oil Country, with the NHL superstar set to become an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career next summer.

McDavid officially became eligible to sign a new deal on July 1. There has been little to no urgency in getting him signed. But if you ask Jackson – McDavid’s former agent – he feels a deal will get done to keep him wearing blue, orange and white for a very, very long time:

Jeff Marek: “If we had been sitting here a year ago and Connor McDavid hadn’t signed an extension, I would have said the hockey world would be going crazy right now. It would be on fire. But the opposite has happened. Everyone’s really calm about Connor McDavid and the extension. How did that happen?”

Jeff Jackson: “I’m not sure, other than the fact that there’s a certain level of comfort with Connor. He’s been in Edmondson for 10 years. He’s been very vocal about how much he loves the city. He loves playing for this team. The team is a good team, which is paramount to Connor, having an opportunity to win. I think the conversation would be a lot different if we were struggling and we hadn’t been and gone as far. I mean, as disappointing as it has been to not win, we’ve been right there for two years in a row. I think although we’ve made changes this summer, I think we have a really good team again, so Connor feels good about all that.

“It could be the relationship with Connor and the city. My relationship with Connor goes way back. Connor has a lot of confidence in (Oilers GM) Stan (Bowman) and has been public about that. Ownership and Darryl (Katz) and his family have treated Connor and Lauren very well. I think it’s a combination of all those things. I know last year when Leon (Draisaitl) had another year left and we were going to extend him or wanted to, it seemed like there was a lot more pressure, media talk about it.

Marek: “It seems like Leon was noisier than Connor’s been, which I never would have guessed.”

Jackson: “A little bit, but I tried to tamp that down last June when we were in the finals. I know there was like, ‘if you don’t get him signed right away, you’re going to have to trade him.’ I was like, I’m not sure what you’re talking about. He has another year. He loves playing in Edmonton. Sure enough, we got a deal done early September with Leon and super happy about that. I sort of feel it’s the same with Connor. It’s not going to be a long negotiation.

Marek: “How quick is that phone call, by the way? How quick is that conversation?”

Jackson: “I think that it won’t be… It’ll be unlike any other negotiation because it’s not really. I think that when Connor is ready, we’ll have the discussion and we’ll get a deal done.”