NHL Rumors: 3 Teams Listed As Suitors if Connor McDavid Gets To UFA Status Next Summer

If Connor McDavid makes it to free agency, there are a few teams that would be at the front of the line

He's been eligible for an extension since July 1st, but it doesn't look like Connor McDavid is in any rush to sign his next contract with the Edmonton Oilers (watch him say so himself). It doesn't mean he won't, but the hesitation, and the fact that there have been no negotiations yet, has allowed the hopes and dreams of 31 other teams to stay alive, that maybe—just maybe—they might have a chance to land McJesus.

Insider Chris Johnston of The Athletic appeared on The Steve Dangle Podcast and was asked if teams are prepping themselves for this possibility, and he specifically had three teams come to mind:

I’m sure it has occurred to the Los Angeles Kings. I’m sure it has occurred to the New York Rangers. You don’t think Julien BriseBois down in Tampa Bay is looking at his long-term roster?
Obviously, there's 31 teams that would like to have him, but there's probably 10 teams that would think they'd be in the running if they ever got a chance.

As Johnston notes, there are two crucial aspects that any of those three teams, or the other seven realistic possibilities, need to have in order to be in the running for McDavid:

1) You need to have the cap space to sign him (potentially at a $20M AAV).

2) You need to be able to "prove to him demonstrably" that he'll have a chance to win a Stanley Cup.

"If you can line it up like that," concludes Johnston, "I think you're in the ballgame.

"We all know there's no negotiation—literally, he's going to pick his terms, more or less, right? So it's about everything else around that: 'We can make you the highest paid player in the game, and this is why we're gonna win, and this is our plan'."

With the cap going up to $104 million for the 2026-27 season, plenty of teams will have the space, if they manage their rosters properly, to go after him.

For instance, as of now, according to PuckPedia, the three teams Johnston named would have the following cap space available to them for next summer:

New York Rangers: $29.6 million
Los Angeles Kings: $37.8 million
Tampa Bay Lightning: $27.7 million

That's plenty of space to get it done. Here's a look at a few other teams that might see themselves in that Group of 10 that Johnston referred to, and their currently projected cap space for the 2026-27 season:

Toronto Maple Leafs: $26.4 million
Montreal Canadiens: $39.1 million
Vegas Golden Knights: $20.3 million
Dallas Stars: $27.9 million
Colorado Avalanche: $26 million
Carolina Hurricanes: $21.2 million
Boston Bruins: $19.9 million

Now it's just a matter of massaging rosters and cap space from now until the end of next season—or until McDavid potentially re-signs in Edmonton... Whichever comes first.