Until Connor McDavid signs a long-term extension or wins a Stanley Cup in Edmonton, talk about his potential departure is always going to linger and resurface. On Monday, that once again happened to be the case.
During the latest episode of The Leafs Convo, Michael Augello of The Hockey News shared that he’s heard from another reporter that Connor McDavid wants to play in Toronto, and it’s just a matter of what state the team will be in when that becomes a possibility.
“I was told by another reporter, this was just his theory and I won’t share his name, but you know, talking in the press box about McDavid, and he said McDavid wants to play in Toronto. It’s just the question of what type of team the Leafs are, and this is coming off the year that they had. If the Leafs are good, then their chances of getting McDavid are good because I think he would want to play in Toronto if they paid him. If they’re not good, there’s not a chance,”
The 29-year-old McDavid is, of course, set to enter the first year of the two-year, $25 million contract extension he signed with the Oilers in October. He’s coming off another massive 138-point (48 goals, 90 assists), Art Ross Trophy-winning 2025-26 campaign.
While McDavid coming home to the Maple Leafs has always felt like somewhat of a pipe dream, it’s also one of the few destinations he could plausibly leave Edmonton for should it get to that point.
That being said, it’s been clear from the start that McDavid’s number one goal is to win a Stanley Cup as an Oiler, so you have to imagine he’s going to exhaust all options in order to try and make that happen before considering what life would be like elsewhere.
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