Connor McDavid Maple Leafs Rumors Surface Again

It's one of the longest-running, and yet long-shot rumors to make its way around the NHL: Connor McDavid will eventually wind up with his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs, hopefuls in Leafs Nation like to say. The latest talk around this comes to us from reporter Michael Augello. 

Speaking on The Leafs Convo Podcast, Augello had this to say:

I will die on the hill that McDavid wants to play in Toronto.

I was told by another reporter, that's just his theory & I won't share his name, but you know, (we were) talking in the press box about McDavid. And he said, 'McDavid wants to play in Toronto, it's just a question what type of team the Leafs are'... If the Leafs are good, then their chances of getting McDavid are good because I think he would want to play in Toronto if they paid him. If they're not good, there's not a chance.

So will they be good enough to entice McJesus? 

Auston Matthews' future is critical to any hope of McDavid coming to the Leafs

Another important part of that is the future of Auston Matthews. If the Leafs captain, who has just two years left on his deal—same as McDavid—decides to stay, Toronto's chances of getting the Oilers' superstar in free agency (or by whatever means) increase exponentially. 

"I think that their chances of getting McDavid rest on Matthews staying... He wants to go to a team that can win the Stanley Cup. And you can't win a Stanley Cup all by yourself," said Augello.

Of course, McDavid has had another top-five player in the league with him in Edmonton all these years in Leon Draisaitl. And they certainly came awfully close.. just a goal or two short.

As for the Leafs, the 2026 Draft was a big stepping stone, after the good fortune of landing the top pick in Gavin McKenna, as well as a couple of other promising selections. How they perform in the next year or two will go a long way to determining, (a) if Matthews stays, and (b) if Toronto is even in the running to bring McJesus, the savior, home to the Big Smoke.