Connor McDavid didn't exactly sound like he was urging to sign a contract extension with the Oilers, and he's being linked to the NHL's biggest market in what could be a monumental free agency period next summer.
Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers are still dealing with the sting of having now lost twice in a row in the Stanley Cup Final to the Florida Panthers, once again destroying the club's dream of their 1st championship since 1990.
McDavid can become a UFA next summer, and while he's now eligible to sign a contract extension with the team that took him 1st overall in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, he didn't exactly sound like he was in a hurry to put pen to paper.
While speculation continues to build as to where McDavid could potentially continue his career if he left the Oilers, one NHL analyst has the League's biggest market in mind as a potential landing spot.
Adam Gretz of Bleacher Report recently wrote that the New York Rangers could be in prime position to sign to sign McDavid with Artemi Panarin's contract set to come off their books next summer, while they could also move on from Mika Zibanejad to accommodate him.
'The NHL would love to see its biggest star playing in its biggest market, and the Rangers would undoubtedly love to have a franchise-changing player at the top of their lineup. It would go a long way to kick-start excitement in Manhattan, especially after everything went so far off the rails during the 2024-25 season.''The Rangers have $11 million coming off the books next summer when Artemi Panarin becomes an unrestricted free agent, and they'll look to move on from Mika Zibanejad's contract at some point. They could easily create the cap flexibility to sign McDavid.'
McDavid could easily command the NHL's highest AAV (average annual value) on his next contract. Would the Rangers be the ideal fit for him?
