“Connor McDavid wants to play in Toronto”

Raphael Simard
“Connor McDavid wants to play in Toronto”
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In recent years, several big American stars have requested trades and want to play only in the United States (and eventually leave).

I'm thinking of the Tkachuks, Dylan Larkin, and Connor Hellebuyck. The latter two haven't been traded yet, but it's only a matter of time.

One player who has never complained about Canada is Connor McDavid. He's currently in Edmonton, but he'd like to play in Montreal and Toronto. The Queen City is in his home province, and today on the podcast The Leafs Convo, Michael Augello said that a reporter told him this:

“Connor McDavid wants to play in Toronto.” – anonymous reporter

Oh, really?

Even Norman James (the one wearing the Leafs cap) was surprised, and he finds it ironic that a player who wants to win the Stanley Cup would want to come to Toronto.

But No. 97 won't come at any cost. According to Augello, a columnist covering the Sabres and Leafs, Auston Matthews will be a major factor in the decision.

First, the captain will have to stay (his contract expires in two seasons), and Toronto needs to be a winning team. And that may have been John Chayka's mandate when he arrived in the City of Queens: to build a competitive team right now to maximize the chances of acquiring McDavid in two years.

But in the summer of 2029, when McDavid becomes a free agent, so will Matthews. Would the team be able to pay both players what they're worth? After all, both will likely demand maximum contracts.

According to an article published earlier this year in The Hockey News, the salary cap for the 2028–2029 season is expected to be around $123 million. The maximum annual salary would be $24.6 million. Nothing has been confirmed, but the two stars could very well shatter another glass ceiling in 2029.

Stay tuned.


In a nutshell

– Indeed.

– Good for the Jays.

– Well done.

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