Connor McDavid’s future in Edmonton is suddenly being framed as a ticking clock.
According to Marco D’Amico, the Oilers may be staring at one last real shot to win the Stanley Cup with their captain before everything changes. D’Amico discussed the situation on BPM Sports this week, and he didn’t soften the message.
“It’s as simple as this: if he doesn’t win a Stanley Cup next season, I don’t see Connor McDavid as an Edmonton Oiler in 2027-28.
I believe this is the Oilers’ last chance,” said D’Amico.
That’s a heavy statement for a team that has spent the last two seasons getting close to the Cup, only to see last year end in an especially painful first-round exit. It’s the kind of finish that lingers, and it’s clearly part of why the pressure around Edmonton is so intense right now.
The urgency comes back to McDavid’s contract. Once next season is over, he’ll have only one year left on it, and that’s where the real concern begins. If Edmonton can’t turn that window into a championship, the questions about what comes next are only going to get louder.
For the Oilers’ general manager, the message is simple: move fast, or risk losing the best player in hockey.
And if McDavid does decide to explore free agency or take his game somewhere else, the fallout would be massive across the league. D’Amico’s comments also come with the suggestion that Kent Hughes and the Montreal Canadiens could have a role in that scenario, which only adds another layer to an already explosive situation.
In Other News...
Canadiens May Finally Be Closing In On Their Biggest Lineup Need
Kent Hughes has been working the phones as the Canadiens try to solve a problem that has lingered for a while: finding a true second-line center. Montreal has been in trade discussions with multiple teams, including Columbus and Toronto, as the front office continues to weigh different ways to strengthen the middle of the ice and give the roster a more stable look down the lineup.
The search has not been limited to one obvious path, and the Canadiens are still sorting through a range of possibilities rather than locking onto a single name. Even with outside buzz around other players, the bigger picture remains the same for Montreal, which is still chasing the kind of center help that could change the shape of the lineup if Hughes finds the right deal. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Are Putting Serious Pressure On Laval To Survive This Reset
Lavals latest reset comes with a familiar kind of pressure for a farm team that has already shown it can win in the regular season. The Rocket captured the North Division for a second straight year, only to run into a first-round wall against the Toronto Marlies, and now the organization is trying to make sure that success translates when it matters most. With the coaching chair changing hands and the Canadiens looking to keep the development pipeline moving, the focus has shifted from simply getting to the playoffs to building a roster that can survive them.
Montreal has responded by adding depth and competition throughout the system, bringing in Brett Berard, Hunter McKown, Sasha Pastujov, Jared Davidson and goalie Kaapo Kahkonen to help fortify Laval. There is also another layer to watch once NHL camp opens, since players such as Owen Beck, Florian Xhekaj, David Reinbacher and Adam Engstrom could flow into the Rocket mix depending on how the big club sorts out its own picture. For Laval, the challenge is no longer just repeating as a division power. It is proving the group can handle the heavier lift that comes with a true postseason push. [Read more 🡒]
Jesperi Kotkaniemi Is Back In The Spotlight For A Familiar Reason
Jesperi Kotkaniemi has a way of drifting back into the conversation around Montreal, even from a few time zones away. The former Canadiens forward, now with the Carolina Hurricanes, recently brought the Stanley Cup to his hometown arena in Pori, Finland, a reminder that his career has taken a long and winding route since he left Quebec.
The latest buzz around him is less celebratory, though, and it comes with the kind of familiar uncertainty that has followed him for stretches of his tenure in Carolina. Kotkaniemi is still under contract for four more years with a $4.82 million cap hit, and the Hurricanes have already shown a willingness to keep his name in the mix when trade chatter heats up. For now, he remains in Carolina, but his place in the picture has a habit of coming up whenever the roster starts to shift. [Read more 🡒]
