The Edmonton Oilers are coming off a back-to-back Stanley Cup Final losses, and the future of Connor McDavid is now a major talking point.
McDavid has one year left on his deal, and if he isn’t going to re-sign, Edmonton may look to trade him. NHL analyst Jay Recher proposed a stunning five-player blockbuster deal that would see the Tampa Bay Lightning acquire McDavid.
Lightning acquire:
Oilers acquire:
The proposed deal would be a blockbuster and would be one of the biggest trades in NHL history. The Lightning would go all-in by acquiring McDavid while Edmonton gets two NHL players, a top prospect, and another prospect.
Tampa Bay would acquire McDavid, who’s entering the final year of his eight-year, $100 million deal. The centerman is arguably the best player in the NHL and is coming off a season where he recorded 100 points in 67 games. It was the eighth time he had hit 100+ points in the last nine seasons.
The big part of the return would be Point, who would replace McDavid as Edmonton’s No. 1 center. Point has five years left on his eight-year, $76 million deal and is from Alberta, so he would get a chance to play close to home. Point recorded 42 goals and 40 assists for 82 points in 77 games.
The Oilers would also acquire Cernak, who’s a big-body right-shot defenseman that can fill a major need. He has six years left on his eight-year, $41.6 million deal.
Edmonton would then acquire Howard, who’s a top prospect and can be a top-six forward for the Oilers. Finley, meanwhile, is a 6-foot-6 centerman who can be Edmonton’s fourth-line center, and both would add some much-needed youth into the lineup.
Analyst Explains Oilers-Lightning Proposed Blockbuster
The five-player trade would be one of the biggest of all time.
Edmonton would reshape its roster after trading McDavid, while the Lightning would go all-in in hopes of winning the Stanley Cup next season.
“So what would that package look like? What would a trade for Connor McDavid look like? Because it has to be more than $12.5 (million) he makes now… Brayden Point, he would be the centerpiece of this deal,” Recher said. “Obviously, you need a big gem going back. The next piece is Isaac Howard, Hobey-Baker winner, a highly-touted prospect that is not going to sign with the Tampa Bay Lightning. He’s gonna jump right into that starting lineup for Edmonton.
“The third guy would be a guy like Jack Finley. More help up the middle, more size, help your middle-six. And then I think Erik Cernak,” Recher added. “Right-handed shot on the blue line, $5.2 million… I think there’s a possibility there. Connor McDavid for Brayden Point, Isaac Howard, Erik Cernak, and Jack Finley. Is that feasible?”
Recher admits he isn’t sure if either team would do the trade, but he does think it would be fair for both sides if they decide to pull the trigger.
McDavid Not in a Rush to Sign With Oilers
McDavid still has one year left on his deal and can sign an extension on July 1. Yet, it doesn’t appear he will have a new deal done by then.
At the Oilers’ year-end press conference, McDavid made it clear that winning is his main priority, so he isn’t in a rush to sign an extension.
“It’s only been a couple of days since the season ended, I’m going to take some time to regroup,” McDavid said. “I’m going to talk to my agent a little bit and family and all that, and make some decisions whenever that time comes. But there’s no rush on anything like that… Winning would be at the top of the list. Winning is the most important thing. If I feel there’s a good window to win here over and over again, then signing is no problem.”
McDavid has won the Hart Trophy, which is the NHL’s MVP award, three times.
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