Red Wings could present solid case if Oilers’ Connor McDavid opts for free agency in 2026.

The 2026 NHL Free Agent class has the potential to be the biggest in league history with some of the biggest names up for grabs. Barring a similar event to this year where all the top players re-sign, we could see a major shake up within the league. Most hockey fans look to biggest names like Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel and Artemi Panarin among others on the block and salivate at the idea of their team nabbing one of the league's best. 

For Detroit fans, there's a name to look out for in the bunch that could be a potential option is the leading name of the group, Connor McDavid. In a recent episode of his podcast “32 Thoughts” Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman explained that the situation in Edmonton with McDavid has dragged on for a longer than expected amount of time because he believes that there isn’t enough belief in the staying power of the Oilers as contenders. 

"Staying power" is the phrase Friedman repeated the most during the segment as the Oilers are an older team with not a lot of impact players and could very well not be a contender in the near future. This is something that worries McDavid as he has been reportedly consumed by his desire to win a championship. 

“I've been told now by several people in the aftermath of that defeat, the second one, [McDavid] has become even more fanatical about winning, like all he cared about was winning before, now he's in another stratosphere about it,” Friedman explained ”The only prescription is a Stanley Cup, and I think he sees it as he's got to go to another level, and the team has to be able to continue at another level.”

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Friedman would also note that when hearing McDavid asked about future plans with the team, he has been consistent in only mentioning this upcoming season. If we enter a situation where the Oilers new acquisitions in high-end prospects Matthew Savoie and Isaac Howard aren’t impact players right away and Edmonton struggles, it could mean the departure of their longtime captain.

“I think that's exactly what this all comes down to, is that he thinks this team can win now, but he's not convinced that, if he signs for any kind of term three to five years from now, that he believes the team has the staying power now,” Friedman said "The two losses have angered him and disappointed him and pained him so much that he will not allow himself to be put into a situation where he doesn't think he's capable of winning."

Detroit enters the picture as a team with a lot of cap space and future aspirations. The Red Wings currently have just under $12 million in cap space this season plus should be able to free up another $12.650 million if the team opts to let go goaltender Cam Talbot along with their trio of old defensemen in Ben Chiarot, Justin Holl and Erik Gustafsson next off-season. This would be more than enough to pay a player like McDavid to a lucrative deal and could use their young talent as an argument towards why they could be successful with him in their lineup. 

The Red Wings already have a solid young core that has the potential to compete for a playoff spot with players like Dylan Larkin, Lucas Raymond, Moritz Seider, Alex DeBrincat, Marco Kasper and Simon Edvinsson. Detroit also has several high-end prospects on the verge of making the jump to the NHL like Carter Mazur, Nate Danielson and Axel Sandin-Pellikka plus once John Gibson ages out of being an elite goalie, they will have two more prospects ready to step in and secure the crease for the next decade in Sebastian Cossa and Trey Augustine. 

The Oilers do have a superstar in Leon Drasaitl but after him on offense, they have few notable names like Zach Hyman and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins along with their two young rookies. Edmonton has a very solid defense core but also has a severe goaltending problem that they still have not yet rectified and could be an issue heading into next season with no future goalie prospects on the way. 

Detroit offers an advantageous situation for McDavid, as he will be closer to his family and home in Richmond Hill, Ontario than he would be in Edmonton, will be offered a larger contract than others, like the Toronto Maple Leafs, will be able to offer plus he can join a team that’s on the rise and with his help could immediately compete for Stanley Cups. 

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Potential 2026-27 Lineup with Connor McDavid:

Marco Kasper - Connor McDavid - Lucas Raymond

Carter Mazur - Dylan Larkin - Alex DeBrincat

Michael Rasmussen - Nate Danielson - Jonatan Berggren

Andrew Copp - J.T. Compher - Mason Appleton

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Simon Edvinsson - Moritz Seider

Niko Mikkola (Free Agent) - Albert Johansson 

Shai Buium - Axel Sandin-Pellikka

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John Gibson - Sebastian Cossa

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