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

[torniojaws]

Would be a laugh if he goes to Toronto (post-Tavares?)

 

[Legend123]

Draisaitl wouldn’t have stayed if McDavid was planning to leave. He was McDavid’s best man at his wedding. You think they wouldn’t have talked about it?

Everything changes when it comes to money

 

[Da McBomb]

Leaf fans still dreaming that Connor is coming home? LOL

 

[WhiskeyYerTheDevils]

Everything changes when it comes to money

I think money would be one of the last reasons he'd leave Edmonton.

 

[Quinning]

He's getting a max contract offer from whoever can afford it. Only Edmonton can give him the extra year, but at this point he's going to pick where he goes to try to win.

 

[Legend123]

I think money would be one of the last reasons he'd leave Edmonton.

Sure....

 

[Heldig]

Edmonton will offer the maximum salary. If they dont make the finals the next 2 years he may still choose to sign elsewhere. For the maximum salary. And more marketing $

 

[Gil Gunderson]

He's getting a max contract offer from whoever can afford it. Only Edmonton can give him the extra year, but at this point he's going to pick where he goes to try to win.

I don’t get it. Wouldn’t that just be the team that just went to Game 7 of the SCF?

People in this thread are saying stuff like “he’s not staying in Edmonton if they don’t win” and suggesting that he goes to teams that don’t even get to the conference finals.

 

[FeatherHead]

He’d be huge in an O6 city.

I would despise him in New York, Detroit, Boston, Toronto, or Montreal.

Right now I couldn’t care less about him while he’s tucked away in the obscurity of the North Pole. May as well sign with Winnipeg or Ottawa just to see people’s f’ing heads explode. Or Calgary or Vancouver.

 

[The Shadow]

I would love to see him with Matthews just to see how many goals AM could get when he’s fully healthy (which I don’t think he has been all season)

 

[canuckslover10]

It would be best for the League imo if he moved to the states to a team like the Rangers, Kings, Chicago, Boston, or Philly.

 

[TheNumber4]

He’d be huge in an O6 city.

I would despise him in New York, Detroit, Boston, Toronto, or Montreal.

Right now I couldn’t care less about him while he’s tucked away in the obscurity of the North Pole. May as well sign with Winnipeg or Ottawa just to see people’s f’ing heads explode. Or Calgary or Vancouver.

Yeh he's so obscure. No one knows who McDavid is. So under the radar. It's crazy.

It would be best for the League imo if he moved to the states to a team like the Rangers, Kings, Chicago, Boston, or Philly.

In what sense? Crosby was in the States his whole career and the NHL is still a 5th tier League.

 

[TheNumber4]

Don't know why people think McDavid is a loser pajama boy like Tavares.

You must not know much about McDavid if you think that McDavid is anything like Tavares as a player or a person.

 

[Cancuks]

I think the Rangers will be going all in on McDavid. With Panarin off the books and Kreider likely dealt then they have the cap space. They need a #1 center. The league would love it and follows the path that Messier and Gretzky took. Makes too much sense.

 

[kthx]

I think the Rangers will be going all in on McDavid. With Panarin off the books and Kreider likely dealt then they have the cap space. They need a #1 center. The league would love it and follows the path that Messier and Gretzky took. Makes too much sense.

I kind of expect majority of O6 trying to overpay for McDavid. Would fix a lot of Bruins problems too, for example.

 

[Daishi]

It would be best for the League imo if he moved to the states to a team like the Rangers, Kings, Chicago, Boston, or Philly.

None of those teams are contenders. He'll sign for one of the no state tax teams. It's obvious. They win a lot, the family will enjoy the weather, and he can sign for less than his market value.

 

[TheKrebsCycle]

Edmonton is the heavy heavy favourite . Beggininb to play better and a deep playoff run still seems likely despite uneven start. Seems like more quiet / reserved guy ; unsure he’d desire a big spot light that a Toronto or NY for example would provide

 

[Riseonfire]

This MFer is going to be a New York Ranger and I'm going to claw my eyes out.

 

[Cup or Bust]

I can't see it likely that he would ever make it to free agency in the first place. If he decided not to sign next summer with the Oilers and wanted to move on, I think it would be more likely a sign and trade to a team he wants to go to long term. The Oilers would be stupid to let him play out his last season without an extension.

 

[haveandare]

Not sure why he’d leave Edmonton given how much he wants to win and their recent runs.

 

[TheNumber4]

I think the Rangers will be going all in on McDavid. With Panarin off the books and Kreider likely dealt then they have the cap space. They need a #1 center. The league would love it and follows the path that Messier and Gretzky took. Makes too much sense.

Yeh except that the only reason Messier and Gretzky ever left is cause the Oilers plain couldn’t afford them. Coffey too. And many other Oilers who after 5 Cups had earned huge pay days the Oilers were not able to pay. If they had the money there would have been more Oilers Cups in the 90s.

 

[Ryder71]

This MFer is going to be a New York Ranger and I'm going to claw my eyes out.

Why wait? Do it now!

 

[BLONG7]

Would be a laugh if he goes to Toronto (post-Tavares?)

He wants a Cup.................not an early tee time at the end of April.

 

[TheNumber4]

This MFer is going to be a New York Ranger and I'm going to claw my eyes out.

He won't and you'll be fine.

He wants a Cup.................not an early tee time at the end of April.

Lol.

 

[Luigi Lemieux]

I don’t get it. Wouldn’t that just be the team that just went to Game 7 of the SCF?

People in this thread are saying stuff like “he’s not staying in Edmonton if they don’t win” and suggesting that he goes to teams that don’t even get to the conference finals.

They had a lot go right last year and still ended up losing. Management still won't fix the goaltending for example. Have handed out brutal contracts like Nurse and Campbell. McDavid and Drai are carrying them as much as they can, but the body of work by management has been very poor now coming up on ten years.