Maple Leafs shockingly linked to Oilers' Connor McDavid after Stanley Cup loss

Jon Conahan

Maple Leafs shockingly linked to Oilers' Connor McDavid after Stanley Cup loss image

The Edmonton Oilers lost in the Stanley Cup finals once again, marking back-to-back seasons where the Oilers have failed to secure the Cup. 

It's an unfortunate situation for the Oilers to be in, but it's tough to complain too much. Sure, the fan base wants to win it all, but the Florida Panthers are simply incredible. 

But despite not making too big of a deal out of this, as they still made it to the finals, Bleacher Report took it to another level. 

They recently looked at free agency landing spots for Connor McDavid after next season, and linked him to the Toronto Maple Leafs, listing them as one of the seven teams he could sign with. 

“The Maple Leafs already have their own superstar and No. 1 center in Auston Matthews. But if McDavid ever does become available, Toronto would have to find a way to get involved in the bidding... 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,” they wrote.

McDavid going from Edmonton to Toronto would make him one of the biggest villains in NHL history. Oilers fans love him and want him to continue playing in Edmonton, but perhaps he’d be interested in playing in Toronto. 

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It'd be unlikely, considering the Maple Leafs are much further away than the Oilers, but stranger things have happened. 

If the Maple Leafs ever had the opportunity to add a player who is the best in the world, they should take that chance, no matter the price.

Jon Conahan

Jon Conahan is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. A 2022 Penn State University graduate who majored in journalism, he was also a member of the school's D1 baseball team. His work has been featured on Sports Illustrated, Heavy and other outlets. Jon makes home in North Jersey, but also resides in Cape Coral, Florida, for parts of the year. He’s an avid fan of the New York Yankees, Miami Dolphins and Milwaukee Bucks.