McDavid explains why he's hesitant to sign a new deal.

You can really start to feel a sense of genuine panic starting to creep up within the fan base of the Edmonton Oilers, and on Friday things only got worse when Oilers star forward Connor McDavid was once again asked about his contract status.

McDavid, who most believed would quickly be signed to a new deal on July 1st, remains unsigned and now seems poised to enter the 2025-26 National Hockey League regular season on an expiring contract. While some have attempted to downplay the magnitude of this decision, the simple fact is that we are talking about a scenario where the best hockey player in the world could be walking his way to unrestricted free agency this season.

On Friday, the Oilers superstar did his best to offer an explanation as to why he remained unsigned this close to the start of the regular season.

"We're taking our time and that's gonna be the answer for at least a little bit here" said McDavid.

When pressed on what some of the factors involved in this decision might be, McDavid simply responded by stating that this was a decision that he refuses to rush into.

"I mean when you're trying to play the next 3, 4, 6, 7, 9 years of your life you don't just dream it up in one day," said McDavid. "You take your time, talk it over, think about it some more, talk it over again, it's not something that I take lightly and it's not something that my family takes lightly."

It was the final part of McDavid's comments that seem to have caused the biggest stir on Friday, with the NHL superstar making it clear that this was truly a monumental moment in his life.

"I put everything I have into this, into my career, and you only get one chance to do it and to do it right," said McDavid. "That leads to taking your time with it, nothing else to really say."

Fans who were hoping for assurances prior to the start of this upcoming regular season may be out of luck.