.jpg?w=1280 "Bleacher Report")
8 Trade Landing Spots for Connor McDavid in 2027 After Oilers Elimination
It's the real-life fever dream of every Edmonton Oilers fan.
With only a season remaining on his two-year contract extension, and with no sought-after Stanley Cup in sight, Connor McDavid walks into the executive offices at the trade deadline next year and says "I want out."
Think it can't happen? Maybe you haven't been paying attention.
After two straight near-misses in the championship round, No. 97 and his Oilers were quickly bumped from the tournament on Tuesday by the Anaheim Ducks, who exposed every weakness on a dubiously constructed Edmonton roster.
Only a card-carrying northern Alberta apologist would suggest things are guaranteed rosy going forward—and the road through the Western Conference won't get any easier—which makes McDavid wanting an exit seem less incomprehensible.
B/R's hockey staff tapped into that vibe and compiled a list of worthwhile landing spots should "McJesus" want to resurrect his title chase elsewhere. Take a look at what we came up with and drop a thought in the app comments.
San Jose Sharks
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Some destinations may seem more a stretch that others.
But San Jose isn't one of them.
If you paid attention to the Olympics in Italy and the chemistry McDavid forged with Sharks teen phenom Macklin Celebrini, you'll find it slightly less difficult to envision No. 97 heading to northern California to work with the kid full time.
The team contended for a Western playoff berth all season, wound up just four points shy of the second wild-card slot, and is flush with cap space that could accommodate a deal with Edmonton—not to mention a high-end prospect pool.
Chicago Blackhawks
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When it comes to luring McDavid, Chicago isn't far from San Jose.
The Blackhawks are loaded with cap space and prospects and it's hard to imagine just how much league boss Gary Bettman would relish seeing the game's best player in an Original Six market alongside a young star like Connor Bedard.
But they're not nearly as close to contending as the Sharks, having finished 31st of 32 teams in 2025-26, which won't help entice McDavid if he's in on the would-be destination decision.
And who knows, Oilers fans? Maybe Edmonton can turn the tables and offer sheet Bedard as a restricted free agent before he signs a new deal this summer.
Toronto Maple Leafs
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Call this one a hometown decision.
McDavid grew up less than an hour north of Toronto, has described his childhood bedroom as a shrine to the Maple Leafs, and said a few months prior to the 2015 draft that it'd be "a dream come true" to play for his hometown team.
And sheesh...how happy would it make Bettman and a hockey-mad city to have the game's best player slide in alongside the likes of Auston Matthews?
It's a little tougher to make the numbers work given two $10 million-plus players already on the payroll, but there's nothing like nostalgia to liven things up.
New York Rangers
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Edmonton fans of a certain age will remember this script.
Fresh off five Stanley Cups in 12 seasons in orange and blue, a Hall of Fame-bound forward didn't like the way things were headed and wanted out, leading to a deal to the New York Rangers for three players just before the 1991-92 season.
Three seasons later, Mark Messier hung a banner at the Garden and led the first parade down Broadway in 54 years.
The modern-day Rangers are just two seasons removed from a Presidents' Trophy and, if nothing else, have a franchise-type goalie in Igor Shesterkin that McDavid has never experienced. A long shot, but it'd be something to watch, no?
Vegas Golden Knights
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Somehow, the Golden Knights always find a way to fit in another player.
They've got less than $5 million in projected cap space heading toward 2026-27 and are by no means stocked with the sorts of young players who'd probably be necessary to convince Stan Bowman to send McDavid to the desert.
But if you asked the player himself where he'd want to go, there's a good chance Vegas makes the list, given the quality of the organization and its consistent level of excellence on the ice.
Having the top two picks of the 2015 draft, McDavid and Jack Eichel, as your top two centers? It might be enough to convince John Tortorella to stay awhile.
Utah Mammoth
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The West is suddenly full of loaded young teams on the rise, and the Mammoth are the highest flyers of the bunch thus far having snatched the conference's first wild-card position heading into this spring's playoffs.
Utah is a new hockey market in need of a star and there'd be none brighter on the horizon than McDavid for owner Ryan Smith, who's shown no shyness when it comes to spending money.
No player on the current roster is making more than defenseman Mikhail Sergachev's annual haul of $8.5 million, and the collection of prospects was burgeoning enough to rank third on ESPN's early-season list in November.
Would McDavid covet Salt Lake City? Who knows? But you can safely assume the folks at the Delta Center would enjoy the opportunity to convince him.
Montreal Canadiens
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For sheer entertainment value, here's your winner.
The Canadiens are the New York Yankees of the NHL when it comes to tradition, and, though they haven't won a Cup since 1993, it's not hard to envision that drought ending in the near, rather than long-term, future.
Just imagining McDavid slotting in alongside Cole Caufield on his right side or Juraj Slafkovský on his left might drive a fan of Les Habitants into a frothing mess, and there's presumably enough young talent in the cupboard to make it worth Bowman's while when considering a possible return.
No real rooting interest here, but if we're picking based on the non-Edmonton possibility we'd most like to watch, it's that player in that building wearing that uniform and working with that coach.
Philadelphia Flyers
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OK, Gritty. Take a deep breath.
While we'd not make them a favorite to land McDavid, there aren't many teams that have the wallet, the media market, and the stockpile of available talent to accommodate a trade to bring in McDavid like Philadelphia does.
Coach Rick Tocchet got the Flyers into the playoffs for the first time in six years in his first season behind the bench, doing a far better job with young star Matvei Michkov and blending well with Anaheim castoff Trevor Zegras and late-season teenage impact player Porter Martone.
At least some of that collection would be heading northwest to repay the Oilers if it happens, but there'd be plenty left to work with and it'd be fun to see how quickly No. 97 would endear himself to a notoriously gruff fanbase.
