The Connor McDavid-to-Toronto chatter keeps hanging around, but the bigger story for the Maple Leafs is what that noise keeps revealing: they still don’t have a true second superstar next to Auston Matthews.
That’s the real issue beneath all the speculation. Toronto had a player in Mitch Marner who fit that bill, but he’s gone now, and the Leafs haven’t replaced him. So every time McDavid’s name gets tied to Toronto, it shines another light on the same problem.
The talk around McDavid has been floating around since the start of last summer, when he signed a two-year, $25-million deal that gave the Edmonton Oilers a much shorter runway than expected. It also left him with flexibility, and he has previously said he wanted to win with the team.
Toronto keeps coming up in those conversations. McDavid’s admiration for the Maple Leafs is well known. Still, there’s no indication he’s about to be traded anywhere, much less to Toronto, and the whole idea remains closer to fantasy than reality.
What the rumours do, though, is underline how badly the Leafs want another game-breaker. Outside of Matthews, they don’t have one.
William Nylander is a top player, but more often viewed as a major piece of the lineup than a true franchise cornerstone. John Tavares is still producing strong numbers, but he’s beyond the point of carrying a team and figures to need a lighter load as time goes on. Matthew Knies has upside, but he still has to keep improving offensively and grow into a player who can deliver 30 goals and 75 points while bringing that same physical edge.
Marner’s departure made the gap even clearer. Toronto has good players.
It doesn’t have enough elite difference-makers. Marner had five straight 75-point seasons, but he never got close to 100 points the way Marner did, and he hasn’t reached 50 goals like Matthews.
That’s where Gavin McKenna enters the picture. He still has plenty to prove at the NHL level, but he has the kind of talent and raw upside that could make him Toronto’s answer to McDavid. If he develops into a regular 100-point threat, the Leafs would suddenly have a high-end force on an entry-level deal.
McDavid’s contract runs through 2028, which gives McKenna two seasons - 2026-27 and 2027-28 - to settle in and show whether he can become that franchise player. That should be enough time for Toronto to figure out whether McKenna is trending toward cornerstone status or whether McDavid remains the bigger target if he ever becomes available.
And if Matthews believes McKenna can be the missing piece, then Toronto would be looking at more than a simple star swap. It would be a true one-two punch, the kind that can tilt the league the way McDavid and Leon Draisaitl do.
The dream of McDavid coming home has obvious appeal. But the reality is messier. His next contract would be massive, Edmonton would have the upper hand in negotiations, other teams could offer more money, and none of that would even guarantee a Stanley Cup.
So the question for Toronto isn’t really whether it can land McDavid. It’s whether it already has a version of him in the pipeline - younger, cheaper, and maybe just as dangerous.
In Other News...
Maple Leafs May Have Found A Quiet Edge Over Boston
The Maple Leafs spent the offseason looking for improvements that would show up in the margins, and their work in the bottom six may end up mattering just as much as any headline move. Additions like Teddy Blueger and Colton Sissons give Toronto more options down the middle, more defensive reliability, and a better chance to survive the kind of grinding shifts that often decide games against a team like Boston.
For a club that wants Auston Matthews and the rest of its top group to see more favorable deployments, that kind of depth can quietly shape a series or even a regular-season matchup. Bostons own bottom-six center mix is less settled, which could open a door for Toronto in head-to-head matchups where the smaller details tend to decide who spends more time attacking and who spends more time chasing. [Read more 🡒]
Patrick Marleau Handled His Maple Leafs Exit In A Telling Way
Patrick Marleaus time with the Maple Leafs ended with the kind of low-drama professionalism that had long made him valuable in Toronto. He was more than just a veteran skater on the roster - he served as a steadying presence in the room, the sort of experienced hand teams lean on when younger players are still learning what it takes to survive an NHL season.
Even when the exit came into focus, Marleau handled it in a way that fit the reputation he built with the organization. The move opened the door for Toronto to keep reshaping its roster, but it also underscored how much the Leafs had leaned on his influence beyond the stat sheet, and why his departure landed as more than a routine transaction. [Read more 🡒]
Jack Roslovic Revealed What Drew Him To The Maple Leafs Now
Jack Roslovics decision to join the Maple Leafs came down to a mix of comfort and opportunity, and he explained the thinking on TSN OverDrive after putting pen to paper. The versatile forward said the chance to land in Toronto made sense because he already knew some of the players on the roster and believed the team was in a position to compete right away, which lines up with the organizations current win-now push.
The fit matters even more because the Leafs have spent this stretch building around short-term flexibility, with a lot of their contracts aimed at the 2028 window as they try to keep their competitive core intact. Roslovics two-year deal fits that approach neatly, and his arrival adds another experienced option for a club still shaping how it wants to attack the seasons ahead under John Chayka. [Read more 🡒]