Days, weeks, and months have gone by, but Connor McDavid is still unsigned through the upcoming NHL season. As long as things stay the same, Auston Matthews and the Toronto Maple Leafs can’t be bothered to let go of their dream. Perhaps, it’s utopic, but the Buds aren’t losing hope.
The odds of McDavid leaving the Edmonton Oilers are slim but never nonexistent. They could be erased very easily, though—all it would take is his signature on a stack of papers. Still, there are no signs of that happening anytime soon.
With each passing day, the Leafs’ hope of signing McDavid only grows. After Marner’s trade, perhaps the best way to help Matthews and company is by bringing in another Ontarian star. McDavid would satisfy that need—and then some.
“There isn’t a day that goes by that the Leafs front office isn’t internally wondering, I wonder what’s happening with Connor McDavid and the Oilers, just like fifteen other teams,” as reported by TSN’s Pierre LeBrun.
Connor McDavid during NHL Media Day ahead of the regular season
Aim at the moon
It’s unlikely McDavid will ask for a trade out of Edmonton during the 2025-26 NHL season. It’s even more improbable he’ll depart for Toronto. After years of speculation around him in Alberta, moving to Ontario would be a jump out of the frying pan into the fire.
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Still, the NHL is a crazy world, and one can never tell what might happen next. Regardless, if McDavid does somehow become an unrestricted free agent, the Leafs will be among a long list of candidates—more specifically, a list made up of 31 clubs.
Perhaps the childhood dream pitch on its own is enough to convince McDavid. But the Oilers’ captain wants to play somewhere he can win, and right now it isn’t clear Toronto is better off than Edmonton in the Stanley Cup sweepstakes.
Meanwhile…
The Maple Leafs will be keeping a close eye on McDavid and the drama surrounding the Oilers. However, the show must go on in the meantime. On that note, Matthews and the Buds are still waiting for a definite answer on the top line’s composition.
Auston Matthews on February 03, 2024 in Toronto, Ontario.
If the first practice of Toronto’s training camp is any hint, Matias Maccelli is the favorite to join Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies on the first line. Head coach Craig Berube voiced an honest message on the matter.
“Its one day. I think he’s in the process of feeling things out, and he gets thrown on a line with Matthews and Knies… it’s a big step. He is a guy that can make plays, we know that. So, that’s going to be a big part of it all,” Berube admitted to reporters.
SurveyIf McDavid does leave Edmonton, where should he go?
If McDavid does leave Edmonton, where should he go?
“If he’s making the right plays and the right decisions with the puck. Is he getting Matthews the puck enough? It’s about him playing a 200-feet game, too. That line’s going to play against good lines, so he needs to be solid defensively, too.”