The Toronto Maple Leafs got some bad news for a potential future move.
Maple Leafs fans have been clamoring for the team to sign Connor McDavid this summer so he could play for his hometown team. However, before the season started, McDavid signed a two-year, $25 million deal with the Edmonton Oilers, which was a massive discount.
Following the deal being made official, NHL analyst James Mirtle of The Athletic named the Maple Leafs among the big losers of the day.
“The ‘Bring McDavid Home’ talk has hit a fever pitch in Toronto of late. Especially as his extension talks dragged through training camp,” Mirtle wrote. “The Leafs lost one star in the offseason, and with a weak prospect pool and aging roster, McDavid — who grew up in Newmarket, a Toronto suburb — felt like a silver bullet option for the franchise if he made it to free agency.
“There was even discussion among the fan base about punting on trying to improve the roster for the 2025-26 season to save enough cap space to land McDavid,” Mirtle added. “Now it’s onto Plan B for the Leafs, who will still have tons of cap room to work with in 2026-27.”
With McDavid no longer an option, Toronto could perhaps look to other star players. But, for at least three more years, McDavid is locked into Edmonton, and the Maple Leafs’ dream is on pause.
Maple Leafs Fans Planned on McDavid Signing
The McDavid extension with the Oilers was bad news for Maple Leafs fans who were adamant that the star player would sign in Toronto.
As training camp opened up, and McDavid had yet to sign, Maple Leafs fans were adamant that he would be signing in Toronto.
“A year from now: is Mcdavid signing with the Toronto maple leafs,” a fan wrote.
“Hearing Conor Mcdavid was seen touring Toronto Maple Leafs practice facility with Austin Mathew’s this past July,” another fan added.
Many fans pointed to McDavid’s pre-draft interview. Before the lottery was revealed, he said playing for the Maple Leafs would be a dream come true. Of course, Toronto had a chance at winning the lottery for the first pick. But the Oilers got the top pick.
Now, McDavid has re-signed with the Oilers, ending Maple Leafs fans’ hopes of him signing in Toronto on July 1.
Oilers GM Explains McDavid Extension
McDavid agreed to a two-year extension on Monday ahead of the start of the season.
The star forward could have gotten upwards of $20 million per season, but he opted to take a discount. Oilers general manager Stan Bowman said it was McDavid who wanted the $12.5 million.
“[The $12.5 million] was what Connor wanted. It’s not like we made a pitch that he should sign for that amount,” Bowman said. “We never had those conversations at all. I think when we came down to it, we were excited to get ourselves down to where we are today. Obviously, it’s a very exciting day for our organization, our fans and our team.
“Getting to know Connor how I have for the last year, he’s such a one-of-a-kind guy. Such a tremendous leader and so motivated to try and win. I think that’s a testament of who he is as a person,” Bowman added.
McDavid is taking less money so the Oilers can build a better team and perhaps finally get over the hump.
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