While several restricted free agents are considering shorter contracts and skipping training camp this season in order to cash in on bigger deals as quickly as possible, the man many consider to be the best of the new generation says it was something he wasn't interested in. While attending BioSteel camp on Monday, his annual pre-training-camp ritual, Edmonton's Connor McDavid says he never considered a bridge deal and never wanted to risk skipping training camp.
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McDavid told Sportsnet he had little interest in waiting until he became an RFA to sign a new contract or holding out as long as possible.
"Because I didn't want to be sitting here not going to training camp. That was my biggest fear. I didn't want to be in that situation. And ultimately it was a pretty easy deal. Peter [Chiarelli], at the time, was great to work with, and my agent did a great job as well. It was a quick process. It wasn't anything we needed to wait over.”
McDavid signed an eight-year, $100 million contract extension with the Edmonton Oilers in 2017, while he still had a full year left on his entry-level contract and before he would become an RFA. At that time, he expressed thoughts that seem to be counter to what young, star RFAs are thinking during this off season.
"For me, getting it done early shows a sign that I want to be here, there was no hesitation, it's not even a thought, I want to be here in Edmonton, and I think getting it done early shows that," he told NHL.com immediately after signing his new deal.
Meanwhile, while McDavid usually participates at the BioSteel camp, he is just attending this year. While he is skating and fully intends to be ready for training camp in September, McDavid is still rehabbing a PCL tear suffered during a game against Calgary in April of 2019. He ran into the Flames' net shin-first. He did not undergo surgery during the offseason, instead opting for rehab with a team of doctors and specialists.
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