Could we be witnessing the beginning of the end for Connor McDavid in Edmonton?
McDavid and his Edmonton Oilers were recently eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and it’s not just that they were bounced, but it came much earlier than anticipated with the franchise suffering a first-round exit to the Anaheim Ducks.
Now while that in itself is heartbreaking for Oilers fans, they’re surely a lot more stressed out now, and that’s because of what McDavid said after the fact regarding the state of the organization.
As we all know, prior to this season, Edmonton punched a berth into the Stanley Cup Finals for two consecutive playoffs, losing each one to my beloved Florida Panthers.
McDavid went on to sign a two-year, $25 million contract (essentially a pay cut) with the Oilers, which is seemingly a deal to give the franchise time to prove to McDavid that they can indeed win a championship. (RELATED: Beer Skates: Carolina Hurricanes Release One Of Greatest Collectibles You’ll Ever Witness)
That contract officially begins in the 2026-27 season, meaning they’re officially on a two-year countdown, and at their current pace, they have a lot of work ahead of them. But don’t take it from me, take it from McDavid himself.
After getting nixed by the Ducks, McDavid stated that Edmonton is an “average team with high expectations.” Later speaking Saturday, McDavid backed up those comments.
He also supported what was said Saturday by teammate Leon Draisaitl, who assessed that the Oilers are “not trending in the right direction.”
“Yeah, I feel the same way,” said McDavid. “It’s only a couple of days ago I made those comments, and obviously feel the same as I did a couple of days ago, and agree with Leon that the organization as a whole has taken a step back. It starts with me, it starts with Leon, we all can be better and we all need to be better.”
WATCH:
“I agree with Leon, the organization as a whole has taken a step back.”
Connor McDavid on the state of the Oilers. pic.twitter.com/oVST7XKqVJ
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) May 2, 2026
With the second year of McDavid’s upcoming deal being a contract year, we could potentially see a massive change in Edmonton a year and some change from now.
It might be hard to see the Oilers trading McDavid right now, but if they continue to decline, it could completely be a reality that he gets traded in the last year of his deal. And I’m just putting my tin foil hat on here, but with McDavid losing back-to-back championships to the Panthers, them being a well-run organization with plenty of Canadian representation (he’s Canadian if you didn’t know), and with Florida general manager Bill Zito knowing how to win championships, who’s to say McDavid doesn’t pull a “if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em” move?
And then you have the palm trees, beaches, no state income tax, and so on and so on, and yeah, this might be the Panther fan and South Florida bias coming out of me, but I didn’t think Zito would turn us into a championship contender either.
Again, tin foil hat here, but with the Cats destined to be back in the championship race next season and for years to come (we’re talking around a decade), where else could McDavid consistently chase down titles and not be deflated by the Panthers?
It’s just something to think about, but the only question I have for my theory … could the Oilers stomach trading McDavid to Florida?
Regardless, I’m making a move if I’m Zito and the Panthers, and if you can’t get him in 2027, you wait it out until 2028 free agency. It might sound like ‘crazy town’ now, but we very well could be looking at a situation where McDavid is a Panther if he truly wants a ring bad enough.