McDavid Watch Begins: Where Could The Oilers Captain Land If He Leaves Edmonton in 2026?

After a second straight year falling short to the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final, let the speculation begin surrounding Oilers captain Connor McDavid's next contract and if he will sign an extension past the 2025-26 season. Let me be clear: I fully expect McDavid to sign an 8-year extension with the Oilers, coming in around $16 million dollars a year, shortly after he becomes eligible to do so on July 1st. While the Oilers haven't climbed the NHL's mountain just yet, Edmonton likely is the place where McDavid has the best chance at winning a championship in the near future. That being said, can we just not have a bit of fun? Can we, just for the sake of argument, ponder the possibility of McDavid possibly wanting to leave the only franchise he's known, and if he were to do so, which teams could be attractive to McDavid if he looked to pursue the first championship of his career outside of Alberta's capital? I took a look at which teams could have the right amount of cap space next summer, whether they'd be in a position to contend, and just as importantly, would McDavid realistically want to live and play there.

Note: These teams are in no particular order.

Toronto Maple Leafs

Let's get the one we will hear about the most about up until McDavid signs his next contract, wherever that may be.

For a long time now, we've heard the rumors about an eventual homecoming for McDavid, the nearby Newmarket native. From what I understand, he did grow up as a Maple Leafs fan, and I am sure when he was dreaming of playing in the NHL as a kid, the thought of him being the one to end Toronto's long cup drought entered his mind on several occasions.

Not to mention, the Maple Leafs, depending on how they decide to spend their newfound cap space this summer, with Mitch Marner and John Tavares' deals now off the books. With money to spend this summer, the Leafs could look to sign players to one- or two-year deals to ensure they can realistically be in the McDavid sweepstakes next July.

That being said, if McDavid is solely focused on winning a cup, I just don't understand how Toronto gives him a better shot than Edmonton. Sure, the Leafs have Auston Matthews and William Nylander locked up long-term, but neither has been able to help the Leafs get past the second round of the playoffs during their nine years in Toronto, and neither is better than his current co-star in Edmonton, Leon Draisaitl.

If McDavid does make it to the open market, I'm sure the Leafs will be the betting favorite to land him, but to me, it just feels more fantasy than reality.

Montreal Canadiens

If McDavid did decide it's time to leave Edmonton but wanted to stay in Canada, how could signing in "the mecca of hockey" not be intriguing for him? Especially with a young team that seems to be trending in the right direction.

This past season, the Habs rode a hot second half into a playoff spot for the first time since 2021 and appear to have one of the brighter futures in the NHL in terms of core players. The team's promising future is spearheaded by a group of five players: Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovsky, Lane Hutson, and Ivan Demidov. There's no denying that it’s a group that could turn the Canadiens into something special over the next few years, and by the summer of 2026, Montreal should be starting to establish themselves as a perennial playoff team out East.

Not to mention, the team should be in a great position cap-wise, with Suzuki, Caufield, and Slafkovsky all signed for under $8 million a year for the foreseeable future in a world where the cap continues to rise.

Add in the prestige of playing for the most storied franchise in NHL history, and it’s not hard to see the appeal of wearing the red, white, and blue in a city that is salivating for its next championship.

But like Toronto, this boils down to whether McDavid is willing to gamble his best years on a team that may not have proven anything in the postseason. Yes, Suzuki and Caufield were around for the team’s run to the Final in 2021, but we don't yet know whether the other members of the Habs' young core will thrive come playoff time—and under the high expectations of hockey fans in Montreal. Despite how exciting the long-term future looks on paper, it's difficult to believe Montreal would rank highly on McDavid's actual list until we see them make deep playoff runs on a consistent basis.

New York Rangers

While this isn’t a ranking or a prediction, if McDavid were to leave the Oilers, I do think the Rangers would be where he winds up.

We know New York loves their stars, and I think if McDavid is available to anyone on July 1st, 2026, the Blueshirts make so much sense. Yes, I know they did miss the playoffs this past season, but it was truly just a strange year. It started with them essentially forcing their captain, Jacob Trouba, out of the building, then making a huge trade in January to bring in J.T. Miller from Vancouver, and ultimately led to them firing their coach, Peter Laviolette.

Despite all the chaos this year, I do expect the Rangers to be much better next year, especially with the team hiring perhaps a top five coach in all of hockey in Mike Sullivan after he and the Pittsburgh Penguins parted ways after the regular season.

We all know that New York is one of the league’s premier markets, and this would give McDavid a chance to play for an Original Six franchise, which could be enticing to a known historian of the game like McDavid.

While Artemi Panarin's contract is up after next year, if the Rangers could lure McDavid, I'm sure Panarin might be willing to take a haircut on his next deal. If Panarin re-upped with New York, McDavid could join him alongside a team full of studs such as J.T. Miller, Adam Fox, and, most importantly, one of the league's best netminders in Igor Shesterkin.

The biggest obstacle will be cap space, but the Rangers have shown ways to make room cap-wise, even if it means not looking great PR-wise. While he does have his critics, general manager Chris Drury has shown that he is prepared to be the bad guy if it means it can move the team forward. With a move like this, McDavid would instantly become a worldwide celebrity, and there's no telling how much of an icon he could become should he bring a championship to New York City.

Dallas Stars

If McDavid is looking for a place where he can win right away and make the most money possible, don't rule out the Dallas Stars as a potential landing spot for number 97.

Over the past several seasons, the Stars have been among the NHL's best teams, reaching the Western Conference Final the last three years, and back in 2020, they advanced to the Stanley Cup Final. Of course, they have met and lost to the Oilers the past two years in the third round of the playoffs. It should be clear that Dallas is not someone to take lightly, especially as next year they will get a full season with Mikko Rantanen in the fold.

Aside from Rantanen, and in the scenario McDavid joins the Stars, they would be stacked with players such as Miro Heiskanen, Thomas Harley, Roope Hintz, Wyatt Johnston, and Jake Oettinger that would surround him with stars and a strong young core that is battle-tested. Adding McDavid to that mix might finally be what gets them over the hump.

Although creating the cap space would not be easy, it's definitely doable. The team could cut ties with Tyler Seguin, who would only have one year remaining on his contract by the summer of 2026, which could provide the room to make a McDavid chase possible.

The financial aspect of things is another factor. As we all know, there is no state income tax in Texas, which is a huge lure when discussing a possible sixteen million dollar contract.

Dallas may not receive as much media coverage as some of the other major markets across the league, but it could be a great fit in terms of hockey and lifestyle.

Los Angeles Kings

If McDavid ever left Edmonton, would he dare follow in Wayne Gretzky’s footsteps and head to Los Angeles? Let's just say I don't think it's impossible.

The story would write itself. Although McDavid's possible departure wouldn't be as abrupt, it would undoubtedly be the most shocking NHL transaction since the Oilers traded Gretzky to the Kings in 1988. And while we Canadians would hate it, I'm sure the idea of McDavid becoming the face of hockey in California is something the NHL would love.

Over the past few years, the Kings have been good but one of the most frustrating teams in the NHL, as they have assembled an impressive team on paper but have lost to McDavid and the Oilers in four consecutive first-round playoff series. Because of that, you just know the franchise needs to make a splash to restore hope with the fanbase, and you'd have to think that LA would be among the first teams to call if McDavid ever became available.

Although there would be work to be done in terms of cap space, the Kings should be able to make it work with players like Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty nearing the end of their careers.

Not to mention, we just do need to discuss the appeal of Los Angeles. The city could offer him a huge market while not even being one of the top three most popular athletes in the city. In LA, he would have the chance to grow his brand, have endless endorsement opportunities, and, to be honest, it would be much easier for him to recruit talent to join him as he continues his Cup chase.

While it would take balls, if McDavid ever wanted to do the Gretzky, LA would be waiting.