Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers have yet to agree on a contract extension, and it seems fans can’t take any more drama. On that note, more tension could be brewing as a ten-year-old quote has resurfaced linking McDavid to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The NHL looked very different a decade ago. Still, the obvious changes haven’t made fans any less excited about the idea of McDavid potentially joining the Leafs. With each passing day the Oilers’ captain remains unsigned beyond the 2025-26 season, hope only grows. In Edmonton, the mood is starkly different, with concern looming large.
Now, fans in Toronto are licking their lips at McDavid potentially becoming an unrestricted free agent (UFA) next summer. If that happens, the Maple Leafs could be in prime position to land the best player in the NHL. At least, if we base ourselves on McDavid’s comments back in 2015, before the Oilers drafted him.
“It’s pretty crazy to even think about,” McDavid had told The Toronto Sun about potentially becoming a Leaf one day. “But that would be an absolute dream come true.”
Connor McDavid #97 of the Edmonton Oilers at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Of course, there’s the financial side of it—and, most importantly, the fact McDavid has shown a desire to re-sign with the Oilers. As things stand, Edmonton has a better shot at the Cup than Toronto. At the very least, the Oilers have a chance to meet the NHL’s apex predator, the Florida Panthers, in the Stanley Cup Final—rather than bowing out early in the postseason.
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A trip down memory lane
McDavid’s pre-Draft interview with Toronto Sun is one that has several key statements that live up until the present. Namely, when McDavid addresses the pressure that comes with playing in Hogtown.
“Anywhere you go in the NHL, there is going to be crazy media coverage to different extents,” a young McDavid had answered, not knowing how much truth his comment would hold ten years later.
“It is what it is and you’ve got to deal with it so why not embrace it? Wherever you end up, you deal with it. So, playing in a place like [Toronto], it has its perks and it has its downfalls. But it’s one of the best places in the league.”
Auston Matthews skating during a game at Scotiabank Arena.
Nostradamus-like?
Canada has waited for far too long. It’s been over 30 years since a franchise in The Great White North has hoisted the Stanley Cup. For a country that prides itself on being the best in hockey across the globe, three decades are too many. While no Canadian franchise wants to see another win the Cup, whichever breaks the hex will be remembered forever.
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The last triumph: Canada’s most recent Stanley Cup victory
McDavid has had his fair share of attempts at conquering Lord Stanley—yet all to no avail. Back in 2015, an 18-year-old McDavid issued a bold statement about the Leafs’ playoff collapses, and now those comments could be seen as foretelling what’s still to come.
“Listen, if a team could ever win in Toronto, it would be unbelievable. Whoever wins would have the key to the city,” McDavid stated ten years ago. “It would be something that people would never forget.“
SurveyIf McDavid ever leaves Edmonton, where should he play?
If McDavid ever leaves Edmonton, where should he play?
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Fans in Edmonton hate that this scenario is even being dragged out, but what if McDavid’s path to a first championship ring leads him to the franchise most desperate for silverware in the NHL? It might be too good to be true, but with no extension signed yet, there’s no harm in dreaming—and thinking out loud.
