Analyst Predicts Which 7 Teams Will Be In Connor McDavid Sweepstakes If He Makes It To Free Agency

While the belief is that McDavid is likely to sign an extension before the summer of 2026, if he doesn't teams around the league will be lining up to pay him, as he is likely to surpass the highest AAV deal in the NHL by a significant margin on the free agency market.

Now, whether or not he makes it to free agency, Bleacher Report have listed seven teams that could be McDavid's next home, listing the Oilers, the Toronto Maple Leafs, Vegas Golden Knights, New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Chicago Blackhawks and Boston Bruins all as options.

The Oilers as the incumbent likely have the best chance of landing McDavid.

The Oilers have the advantage of having a full year to negotiate with him. Players of this caliber do not typically hit unrestricted free agency in their prime, and the Oilers have shown they can reach the Stanley Cup Final. The championship he's still seeking is within reach.

While some of those teams are in much better financial spots to land McDavid than others, knowing the talent that he is, they'll all do whatever they can to convince the leagues best player that they can give him the best chance at a Stanley Cup.

The Maple Leafs could pitch a dynamic duo with Auston Matthews as their selling point.

And if the Maple Leafs keep fizzling out in the playoffs, they'll be under even more pressure to keep making dramatic changes to fix that.
They could have a dominant 1-2 punch of McDavid and Matthews down the middle, or they could do something bold by trading Matthews for a haul and replacing him with McDavid at the top.

Obviously, all of these teams have different selling points to No. 97, with some making much more compelling landing spots than others, so while it's still expected that he remains in Edmonton, if he doesn't expect the summer of 2026 to be one of the craziest in the history of the National Hockey League.