Speculation: Elephant in the room: Is McDavid going to be the biggest UFA ever in 2026?

[HairyKneel]

Itd be great for the NHL if he hit Free Agency...but itll never happen. Star players rarely do...and when they do its like Tavares or Pietrangelo situations where they have predetermined destinations. Never drama or excitement like the Juan Soto situation right now.

It would be great for the player too. Like a modern day Escape from Alcatraz. No wonder he looks so old. He can barely leave his house without getting covered in frost bite for most of the year.

 

[GMR]

He’s part of the Yzerplan.

 

[MessierII]

Pittsburgh:
Lemieux
Jagr
Crosby
McDavid

Pittsburgh is going to be bottom 5 for the next 7-10 years.

 

[sxvnert]

He'll cuck and sign with the Oilers.

 

[GreeningOil]

By 2026 McDavid realises that his best shot at the Cup is the Habs, if he didn't win it already

Maybe in EA Sports NHL 24

 

[Slats432]

0% chance is what they said about tavares

They were obviously misinformed. But you continue to dream. Keep the receipts. I will admit I was wrong if it happens, but I don't think I will be.

Pittsburgh:
Lemieux
Jagr
Crosby
McDavid

Did you just have the words contending team and Pittsburgh in the same post?

 

[oilers4life5]

What fantasy world are you people living in? He is not going anywhere. This thread is a waste of time and energy.

 

[GAGLine]

He's going to stay in Edmonton. What contending team is going to have the cap to sign a free agent like McDavid?

The Rangers are going through a rough patch right now but could still be a top team with the right moves. Even if they aren't a top team, the addition of someone like McDavid could help get them there.

It remains to be seen what other moves Drury has up his sleeve, but Panarin's contract is up at the same time as McDavid's, so it's a good bet that the Rangers will have the cap space to make a significant offer.

 

[Luigi Lemieux]

If the reason he hasn't won a cup is incompetent management and he decides to stay with them, then the missing cup(s) on his resume is on him at that point. I think he cares a lot about legacy and his place in the game. The one team thing only matters if you've won with them.

What team will have 14+ in cap space to sign him, and is better than Edmonton?

Probably about half the league if not more would be better with Mcdavid than Edmonton is.

 

[Artemi Panarin]

Foegele.....7-6-13 +9
Holloway... 8-8-16 +7
McLoed.....6-6-12 +4
Broberg.....2-10-12 +7
Ceci...........1-5-6 -4

24-35-59 +23
vs
9-20-29 -12

Skinner......5-5-10 -9
Arvidsson..2-3-5 +2
Henrique...2-7-9 +4
Emberson..0-2-2 -5
Stecher......0-3-3 -4

Another incompetent off season for management.

At some point you take notice and move on

 

[Washed Up 29YearOld]

Who can fit 17 mil into their cap structure other than Edmonton? When you factor in his 8th year I think it’s pretty likely he re-signs in Edmonton. I mean unless a team just shops all their best players to make room but what do I know. I’m just a HFBoard member.

 

[Deep Blue Metallic]

Pick one:

Wins a Cup with the Oilers, and wants to win more with "his team".

Doesn't win a Cup with the Oilers, and feels he has unfinished business.

Doesn't win a Cup with the Oilers, and thinks he'll have a better chance elsewhere.

It would be amazing if Edmonton ends up losing both Gretzky and McDavid in their primes. Doubt that will happen.

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

If the reason he hasn't won a cup is incompetent management and he decides to stay with them, then the missing cup(s) on his resume is on him at that point. I think he cares a lot about legacy and his place in the game. The one team thing only matters if you've won with them.

I agree, and I think he sees his legacy as winning a Cup with the team that drafted him...he's a loyal guy, like his hero Sidney Crosby
this is a guy who played his Junior in the hinterland of Erie Pa and never complained, never asked out and never wanted to be traded to a more lucrative Junior hockey market in Ontario

he will only go the Ray Bourque route if he's in his late 30s without a Cup IMO

Probably about half the league if not more would be better with Mcdavid than Edmonton is.

how many teams that are close to a Cup can afford him without losing significant players?

 

[CupofOil]

I think McDavid and his wife will have a bigger impact on his decision than Drai. He will have leverage and if he doesn’t have a Cup by then I imagine he will be hyper focused on where he can get a couple. He will be thinking about his legacy, not about the best man at his wedding

Lol, McDavid is re-signing with the Oilers. This thread is dumb.

McDavid has made it very clear that he loves Edmonton and this is where he feels he can win.
Add in the fact that his good friends play on the team and are signed long term and it's pretty obvious that he's staying for the long term and I'm sure that Draisaitl signing long term helped make his decision easier.

 

[KevinRedkey]

Probably about half the league if not more would be better with Mcdavid than Edmonton is.

That's an answer to a question that wasn't asked. The cap space portion is as important as the "who's better" part.

 

[KevinRedkey]

I'm predicting 15.625 for his cap hit but it could be as high as 17.

Florida could cover McDavid's cap hit between Bob and Ekblad over the next 18 months either way. If Knight becomes a decent goalie, they are one team that could make sense.

Another wildcard is Vegas that could move in from Eichel and free up 10 mil, and make a trade to free up the rest.

There's not as many options as Edmonton haters would like to think though. It's simply a massive cap hit.

 

[Luigi Lemieux]

That's an answer to a question that wasn't asked. The cap space portion is as important as the "who's better" part.

That part isn't that relevant. Teams would clear space for him.

 

[NeverForget06]

After we lost the cup, his wife posted on instagram:

"As heartbroken as I am I feel so grateful to be in Edmonton with this group. I just need to say how proud I am of everything we accomplished this year, win or loss. Seeing so many fans travel across the continent to support our ream was so incredible. We have the BEST fans in the league and no one deserves it more. We will bring it to Canada soon!!"

 

[NeverForget06]

I would be more concerned about him leaving if we had won the cup last year, tbh. Same with Drai

 

[Arpeggio]

The Oilers have lost in the playoffs to the eventual cup champs three seasons in a row. Nowhere he signs is going to have a better chance of winning than they do.

They'll pay him whatever he wants to be paid.

Unless he really hates the weather, he'll re-sign.

 

[blankall]

I think McDavid will re-sign with the Oilers. He loves the cult of personality they've built around him. If he went somewhere else, he'd have to adjust to an existing culture not based around him.

He'll demand the biggest contract ever given in the NHL. He just won't be as good post 30 though, as his speed fades a bit. Still be great, but more like a 100 point players, as opposed to 140 points.

 

[Connor McConnor]

If the reason he hasn't won a cup is incompetent management and he decides to stay with them, then the missing cup(s) on his resume is on him at that point. I think he cares a lot about legacy and his place in the game. The one team thing only matters if you've won with them.


Probably about half the league if not more would be better with Mcdavid than Edmonton is.

What an idiotic statement. They were 2 shots away from winning the Cup last year. 2 seasons prior got knocked out by the Cup champs. To say more than half the league would have those results is disingenuous to say the least.

 

[banks]

After we lost the cup, his wife posted on instagram:

"As heartbroken as I am I feel so grateful to be in Edmonton with this group. I just need to say how proud I am of everything we accomplished this year, win or loss. Seeing so many fans travel across the continent to support our ream was so incredible. We have the BEST fans in the league and no one deserves it more. We will bring it to Canada soon!!"

What else is she supposed to say? "forget this, we're out"?

I'm sure she's aware that other teams also have fans that travel to away games.

 

[Luigi Lemieux]

What an idiotic statement. They were 2 shots away from winning the Cup last year. 2 seasons prior got knocked out by the Cup champs. To say more than half the league would have those results is disingenuous to say the least.

Seems you have some trouble with reading comprehension. They were close because Mcdavid carried them. Without him they were likely a lottery team last year. Any of the other playoff teams + Mcdavid would have been better. Overall Edmonton management has done an awful job 9 years into his career.

 

[Connor McConnor]

Seems you have some trouble with reading comprehension. They were close because Mcdavid carried them. Without him they were likely a lottery team last year. Any of the other playoff teams + Mcdavid would have been better. Overall Edmonton management has done an awful job 9 years into his career.

Again, seems like your brain doesn't work. "Lottery team" without him lmao. All the other playoff teams subtracting 12m off their roster would not have been better. But hey, you say so!