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May 23, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid (97) skates with the puck against the Dallas Stars in the first period for game two of the Western Conference Final of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Ridiculous Rumours of McDavid to Maple Leafs Picking Up Again

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Rupert McDonald | Last updated May 27, 2025 8:25 AM ET

The Connor McDavid to the Toronto Maple Leafs rumours are starting up once again. Edmonton Oilers fans have grown rather accustomed to this chatter, as those in Toronto, both fans and media alike, have questioned his desire to remain a member of the Oilers organization.

Early in his career, the discussion made some sense, as the Oilers made the playoffs just once in his first four NHL seasons after having missed the prior 10 years in a row. Since then, however, the rumours have been ridiculous, and are only becoming more laughable with the Oilers’ recent track record of success.

The latest conversation came from The Leafs Nation, where Nick Alberga and Luke Fox discussed the future of McDavid, who has just one year remaining on his contract and is eligible to sign an extension come July 1.

“You saw that third period [against the Dallas Stars in Game 1],” Fox said. “What is going through his mind when he’s playing his butt off, and he’s video game Connor, and they still lose that game because they can’t get a kill, they can’t get a save when they need it. I just wonder what’s going through his mind. I don’t know if a Cup would make it easier for him to leave, because he could say, ‘Mission accomplished, maybe I’ll try to when a second one somewhere else,’ or if it makes him say, ‘Hey, we’ve got a good thing going, I love Leon [Draisaitl], he’s one of my best friends, we can sort out the goaltending later,’ and he wants to stay. I don’t think it’s a guarantee that on July 1, he re-ups there.”

No Validity to Claims

As mentioned, this discussion of McDavid not only leaving the Oilers, but doing so to join the Maple Leafs has been taking place throughout the 28-year-old’s entire career. It’s entirely baseless, with the Oilers captain even once remarking that he couldn’t wait to leave Toronto after arriving there for a game.

The reason these talks are picking back up, of course, isn’t just due to the fact that McDavid’s contract is nearing its end, but that Maple Leafs’ star Mitch Marner will likely be headed elsewhere this summer in free agency. That will open up plenty of cap space for the Maple Leafs, but doesn’t all suggest that McDavid will be headed there the following year to replace him.

What fans and media in Toronto seem unable to realize is that a player like McDavid, whose sole goal is to win a Stanley Cup, would have a far tougher time doing so with the Maple Leafs than the Oilers. The Oilers have been eliminated in the playoffs three-straight years by the team who has gone on to win the Cup. They are currently playing in their third Western Conference Final in four years, a round which the Maple Leafs haven’t made it to in over 20 years.

McDavid also has the luxury of playing alongside one of the best playoff performers the game has ever seen in Leon Draisaitl, along with a defenceman who is putting up historic playoff numbers in Evan Bouchard. It’s hard to believe he would think someone like Auston Matthews, who notoriously disappears in the playoffs year after year, gives him a better shot at winning it all.

McDavid Won’t Leave Edmonton Without Cup

The one silver lining for Maple Leafs fans when it comes to this pipe dream is that McDavid and the Oilers have another shot at winning it all this year. If he is to reach his ultimate goal in Edmonton, it may actually increase the chances of him going elsewhere once his contract reaches its end. That said, going from an already hockey-crazed market in Edmonton to an even bigger one in Toronto seems highly unlikely, though that may be the one chance the Maple Leafs would have.

At the end of the day, this argument is quite tiresome, but will not come to an end until McDavid makes a decision. Should he sign an extension this summer, the talk will finally vanish once and for all. If he goes into the 2025-26 season without a deal in place, however, fans around the NHL will be hearing speculation about him joining the Maple Leafs on a near-daily basis.