NHL analyst doesn’t rule out Connor McDavid’s move to Toronto, draws parallels with ex-Leafs captain’s free agency decision

Connor McDavid is fresh off a second consecutive loss to the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Finals.

As he said himself, last year was heartbreak, and this year was anger and frustration. No matter the emotion of how it felt, the end result was the same, and the world's best player remains without a championship through year 10 of his NHL career.

With McDavid becoming extension-eligible on July 1, as he enters the final year of his contract, all of the questions have shifted towards his future. Unfortunately for Oilers fans, their captain was quite noncommittal when asked about it during his season-ending media availability on Thursday.

Because of that, rumors and speculation about Connor McDavid leaving Edmonton have run rampant. On Friday, NHL analyst Nick Alberga of Leafs Nation wrote an article urging fans not to shrug off the possibility of the Richmond Hill, Ontario, native coming home to Toronto, just as John Tavares did in 2018.

He shared the link to the article on X (formerly Twitter).

"When you get a chance to play for the team you loved and probably still love, you’re going to think long and hard about it. Just ask John Tavares, who, much to the chagrin of a fan base that’s still pissed off about his decision to leave, fled Long Island for his hometown Maple Leafs in the summer of 2018. For an entire year prior to becoming an unrestricted free agent, he wrestled with the dream of donning the blue and white, and ultimately, he caved and made the seemingly unfathomable decision to go home," Alberga wrote. "Whether Oilers Nation wants to hear it or not, there’s no question—in my mind, at least—that there’s a WrestleMania-level wrestling match already underway in McDavid’s head with July 1st quickly approaching," Alberga added.

McDavid has one year remaining on the eight-year, $100,000,000 contract extension he signed with the Oilers in 2017.

Spittin' Chiclets is already hearing rumors about Connor McDavid leaving

While many believe the Toronto Maple Leafs are the best suitor should Connor McDavid depart Edmonton, the guys from Spittin' Chiclets have heard rumors about an Atlantic Division foe.

Matt Murley suggested that he's hearing the Tampa Bay Lightning could be the 28-year-old's ideal destination. Spittin' Chiclets shared the clip with his comments on X.

"So, pretty wild rumor I heard this morning: McDavid to a team that starts with the letter T... Tampa. And it's not Toronto Biz. That's the rumor I heard," Murley said.

How the Tampa Bay Lightning would be able to make that work is very much unknown.

However, until Connor McDavid puts pen to paper on an extension with the Oilers, these rumors and reports are going to continue to fly around the hockey world on a regular basis, and he knows that.

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Edited by Jackson Weber