I agree with this. The other angle that I think is overlooked is this- Connor/Leon don't have kids right now. If you look at their girlfriends instagram accounts during the season, Lauren and Celeste spend half the damn season in Mexico, Europe, or wherever else. A lot of the time they're with Gagner's wife and others. This is obviously an insanely close group both on and off the ice.
Leon has been here for 9 years. As a general rule, most people don't like uprooting their lives, leaving their friends, and giving up everything they've ever known just to move to a warmer climate. That's doubly the case when you're a millionaire hockey player who really only spends 3-4 months a year in the city when you factor in travel and off season, or if you're a millionaire's spouse who can get on a private jet and fly across the world at the drop of a hat.
There are reasons Leon might leave. He's European, maybe he always pictured himself playing in New York or a big market. Maybe he isn't willing to leave a cent on the table and the Oilers won't go that high. But the idea that he will leave because Edmonton sucks and no one wants to live here is just BS spouted by people with a 604, 416 or 403 area code.