Connor McDavid’s future, Houston’s push toward the NHL, and the Washington Capitals’ extension plans are all part of the latest league buzz, and each storyline comes with a different kind of urgency.
For McDavid, the conversation starts with money, but it doesn’t end there. His two-year extension is set to begin this offseason, and by taking that deal he gave Edmonton a major break, passing on a raise and sticking around at a very manageable cap hit for two more seasons.
The Oilers have reached two Stanley Cup Finals in the last three years, then followed that up with a first-round exit in 2025-26. McDavid wants to win, and if Edmonton doesn’t get over the top while he’s on this contract, the door could open.
E.J. Hradek of NHL Network, speaking on the Bleed Oil Blue podcast, pointed to three possible landing spots if McDavid ever decides to move on: the New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, and Detroit Red Wings.
The Rangers stand out because of the cap room they’re projected to have - $54 million for the 2027-28 season, when McDavid would be due for a new extension. There’s also the obvious pull of playing 41 games a year at Madison Square Garden.
The Flyers and Red Wings aren’t presented as ready-made title favorites, but both teams have something McDavid would care about: a need for a true top centre, a strong base of wing talent, and enough young pieces to imagine a longer window of success. In the end, the whole thing comes back to one question: where does he believe he can win?
On the expansion front, Houston appears to be moving closer to becoming the NHL’s next stop. Deputy commissioner Bill Daly has said Houston is likely the next market in line, and the timeline could be sooner than many expected. The target being discussed is the 2029-30 season, though plenty still has to happen before anything becomes official.
Daly told The Athletic that the Friedkin business group has agreed to pay a $2 billion expansion fee, and that the choice between Houston and Austin will depend on the arena plans. He also said, “They’re projecting the ability to start play in 2029-30…so we will have one down and potentially one to go. We have ongoing discussions both with people in the Phoenix marketplace, but also Atlanta, and then we’ll see what comes of those discussions.”
The league’s player pool has become part of the debate as expansion talk grows louder. Some fans worry that more teams could thin out the talent, especially with two more clubs adding at least 46 roster spots. Still, the source of optimism is plain enough: the NHL has never been in a better place.
Washington, meanwhile, is working on keeping two young forwards in the fold. The Capitals are looking to get extensions done for Ryan Leonard and Justin Sourdif, part of a summer already packed with huge restricted free agent deals and new contracts around the league.
Leonard’s first full NHL season was a strong one. He scored 20 goals and finished with 45 points, and his underlying numbers were described as strong as well. At 21, he already looks like a player on a very good track.
Sourdif’s path has been a little different. The Capitals got him from the Florida Panthers for a second- and sixth-round pick after he put up 37 points in the AHL as a 23-year-old.
That move raised eyebrows at the time, but his rookie NHL season helped validate it. He produced 15 goals and 35 points and also gave Washington solid work defensively, making him look like a real part of the future.
AFP Analytics projects Leonard on a long-term deal worth just under $8 million annually, while Sourdif is pegged for a four-year contract a little above $5 million per year. If Washington can keep both players around $13 million combined, it would preserve what has been called the deepest forward group in the NHL. And with $19 million in space for next season and only a few extensions left to handle, the Capitals’ cap picture is only getting cleaner.
In Other News...
Oilers Fans Face A Familiar Connor McDavid Tradeoff This Season
Connor McDavid has made a career out of turning the Oilers into a nightly must-watch team, and this season the conversation around him is familiar: how much individual production comes with the territory when the bigger goal is winning in the spring. A recent fan survey suggests Edmonton supporters are bracing for a slight dip in his point totals, but not in the broader value he brings if the team is better positioned for playoff success.
The more interesting part is the temperature around what comes next if the Oilers keep coming up short. Fans may be willing to trade a little offense for a deeper run, but there is still an uneasy sense that the long view of McDavids future in Edmonton will depend on whether those results ever arrive. [Read more 🡒]
Oilers May Use A Familiar Face To Solve A Camp Dilemma
With training camp coming fast and the preseason shortened, the Oilers could use a low-risk way to add bodies and get a read on depth under new coaches Mike Babcock and D.J. Smith. Kurt Leavins of The Edmonton Journal floated the idea of bringing in a familiar face on a professional tryout contract, a practical move for a team that may lean toward players the staff already knows rather than spending precious time evaluating complete unknowns.
Curtis Lazar fits that description well. He has already worn an Oilers sweater and remains unsigned, making him an easy name to circle if Edmonton wants experience in a bottom-six role and some comfort in the camp competition. The appeal is obvious, even if the final decision still hinges on whether the organization wants to keep looking inward or give a known depth option another shot. [Read more 🡒]
Oilers Suddenly Have A Real Shot At One More Core Piece
Training camp opens with the Oilers in a far better place than they were a year ago, and it is not just because Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl remain the engine of everything. Edmonton has a strong top roster, and the front office also has some salary cap flexibility to work with after reshaping the blue line, which gives the team a little more room to chase the kind of addition that can change the feel of the lineup over time.
The bigger question is whether that flexibility turns into another core piece during the season, because the Oilers know they still have aging wingers and a need for more impact help around their stars. Dylan Larkin has come up as one name in the broader search, while the team also has younger targets in mind as it looks for a player who can fit now and still matter for multiple seasons. [Read more 🡒]