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.
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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.
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