New York is reportedly gaming out a massive pursuit of Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl if Edmonton’s championship window cracks. Expect them to keep an eye on this situation, even if from afar.
Edmonton fans don't need another reminder of how thin the Oilers' championship margin has gotten. But a recent Athletic mailbag from Vincent Mercogliano delivered one anyway.
Asked about the Rangers' long-term hunt for a true No. 1 center, Mercogliano didn't hesitate on his top answer: Connor McDavid.
McDavid signed only a two-year extension with Edmonton last fall instead of committing long-term, which Mercogliano frames as the door being left open. Even if the Rangers have no realistic edge over the rest of the league in a McDavid sweepstakes — and they'd be competing with basically every contender in hockey — the fact that the scribe suggests that the Rangers may already be gaming out the pitch says something about how serious they might get if the option to acquire No. 97 ever becomes available.
Interestingly, if the Rangers strike out on McDavid, Mercogliano named a Plan B from Edmonton.
"Other pie-in-the-sky scenarios could include the Toronto Maple Leafs’ Auston Matthews and the Edmonton Oilers’ Leon Draisaitl, with the former scheduled to join McDavid as a free agent in 2028 while the latter may decide he wants out if the Oilers’ situation doesn’t improve."
Draisaitl is not as a pending free agent. He's not anywhere close. But as has been the case for a couple of players and teams this summer, you don't need to be a free agent to get trade rumors going. If the perception of instability starts become a storyline in Edmonton, perhaps nothing is completely off the table.
Let's Be Clear... There's Nothing Imminent Here
To be clear, this is speculation dressed up as a mailbag answer, not reporting on advanced trade or free-agency talks. He also mentions Auston Matthews out of Toronto and Robert Thomas from the St. Louis Blues as possible targets. This is more a suggestion that the Rangers are open to spending big. Should any of the major names make it to market, New York is in.
McDavid's contract structure makes this a potential reality in a couple of seasons. As is, he's all-in on the Oilers and new coach Mike Babcock.
All that said, the Rangers might start getting excited if the McDavid and Babcock marriage looks like it's going to end in divorce.
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