Oilers might be a lot closer to Connor McDavid nightmare than his contract suggests

Connor McDavid could be a lot more in the player movement spotlight if he hadn't signed that two-year contract extension with the Edmonton Oilers before the season.

But in reality, he's not that far off from potentially being on the move -- if things don't go well in these playoffs, for example.

The Oilers have lost in the Stanley Cup Finals to the Florida Panthers each of the past two seasons. At the moment, they don't look like a team ready to make a deep run.

The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun recently cautioned that an early exit could bring about a McDavid nightmare scenario a lot earlier than anyone would expect.

LeBrun made these comments on The Sick Podcast:

“If they don’t get going and if they lose out in the first round after being in the Stanley Cup Finals two years in a row… Connor McDavid, I think people misunderstood when he signed a two-year extension that it definitely meant he was in Edmonton through 2028. Hold on for a second here. That’s not what he was saying when he signed a two-year extension. At the very least, in the summer of 2027 for sure, the plan is for McDavid and his agent Judd Moldaver to huddle with Oilers management and say, alright, are we still a contender? Are we still going for Cups here?… What I’m saying, though, is if they get smoked in the first round, let’s say in a short series… I mean, I don’t know. How do you think the best player in the world is going to feel? I still think he gives them another year, but Edmonton is a team to keep an eye on here, honestly."

MORE: We finally know what Sidney Crosby's Olympic injury is

Well that's not good news at all for the Oilers.

Clearly, they go as McDavid goes, and with no McDavid, their future could be a lot bleaker.

He's under contract through the 2027-28 season, so for McDavid to move on, he'd have to request a trade.

If that happened, the Oilers would likely at least land a massive return for the best player in hockey.

But really at this point, Edmonton should be doing everything it can to maximize the next couple seasons with McDavid. If the Oilers don't win the Cup with him, that can only go down as a failure.

More NHL news:

• Could the Maple Leafs and Auston Matthews be done?
• Unheralded winger set new NHL skating speed record
• Sabres facing future Alex Tuch question
• Just a bit of doubt about Alex Ovechkin's future
• Evgeni Malkin still facing a bit of tension
• The $25 million implication of Maple Leafs' Bobby McMann trade