E.J. Hradek’s surprising shortlist for McDavid links the Oilers' captain to three struggling franchises far removed from championship contention.
Talk of Connor McDavid leaving the Edmonton Oilers never surprises anyone anymore. In the dog days of summer, when there's little else to talk about, McDavid's future outside of Edmonton seems to be the go-to.
Right on cue, another interview led an NHL analyst to suggest a few landing spots for McDavid if he ever left the only teams he's ever played for. NHL Network personality E.J. Hradek names three possible destinations: the Philadelphia Flyers, Detroit Red Wings, and the New York Rangers.
The destinations don't make much sense. Hradek admitted that McDavid's priority is to win. He says this right after naming three teams that aren't really contenders.
The Flyers performed better than many assumed they would last season, but there's no telling if they'll find that kind of success again in 2026-27. Meanwhile, the Detroit Red Wings are currently a tirefire of an organization. They've got no GM, their best player wants out, their top scoring veteran left and they don't look anything like a playoff team.
The Rangers, Hradek suggests, is on the radar because, well, it's New York.
In other words, if McDavid wants to win, why would he pick any of these three teams? Who is Hradek's source that suggested McDavid would be open to this idea if he were to leave Edmonton? Why would anyone think McDavid is open to leaving when he was an advocate for hiring the new coach and the Oilers are a better team than any of the three franchises mentioned?
These are all fascinating questions that Hradek doesn't really answer, but why should we be surprised? It's typical when McDavid rumors get tossed around but there aren't any substantial reports to back the speculation.
A source somewhere said something. That should tell us all we need to know about how seriously to take said report.
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