McDavid: Edmonton 'checks a lot of boxes' for NHL players

While questions about a future contract extension may hang over the head of the National Hockey League's best player these days, there's little question what appeals to Connor McDavid most about plying his trade in one of the circuit's smallest markets.

"It's stress-free living," the Edmonton Oilers superstar told media Tuesday about living in the NHL's northern-most market following a pre-training camp on-ice workout.

McDavid, a five-time league scoring champion and three-time most-valuable player who led the Oilers to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final in June, is eligible for a contract extension next summer — a year before his eight-year deal expires to potentially make him an unrestricted free agent.

But the team captain, while telling reporters he's focused on the season ahead and not on future negotiations, did talk about the appeal of a city that has been the butt of many a joke over the years given its relative distance from many NHL markets, its relatively colder weather and its population size.

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"For people who haven't experienced Edmonton, don't know Edmonton, it's really easy living," McDavid said..

"There's no hour (-long) drive, there's no traffic — although the construction could be better."

He said Edmonton, while not situated on a beach or in a part of the world that has consistently "beautiful" weather, "checks a lot of boxes for a lot of guys."

"We're here to play hockey, and we're here to be part of something," McDavid said. "I think guys want to do that."

McDavid's comments on life in Edmonton come a week after Leon Draisaitl, the fellow team star drafted a year before him who's often his linemate and is frequently the finisher of his power-play feeds, signed an eight-year, $112-million contract extension with the Oilers.

Draisaitl said at a media conference to announce the new deal that will pay him $14 million per season he had "a hard time" picturing himself wearing another team's uniform.

McDavid's current contract, which kicked in in 2018, pays him $12.5 million per season.