September 24, 2026 brought a fresh round of NHL trade chatter, and the loudest voices were once again circling Connor McDavid. Jeff O’Neill didn’t exactly leave much room for debate, saying there’s a flat-out “0% chance” McDavid stays in Edmonton once his current two-year deal is up. He even took it a step further, arguing that if the Oilers win the Cup, McDavid could be even more likely to leave because he would have already checked off the goal he came to accomplish.
That kind of take didn’t sit well with Oilers fans, and they fired back quickly. One account joked that even if McDavid wins multiple Cups and breaks every franchise record, O’Neill will still be saying he’s leaving.
The rest of the OverDrive panel wasn’t nearly as absolute. Bryan Hayes put it at 40%, Mike Johnson landed at 23%, and Jamie McLennan started at 70% before easing off once the other numbers came out.
O’Neill was the clear outlier, and he sounded far more certain than anyone else on the show.
Elsewhere in the rumor mill, Jason Robertson’s name is back in the mix for Pittsburgh. Nick Kypreos pointed to Robertson’s one-year, $12 million deal with Dallas, which expires after this season and would send him into unrestricted free agency.
That leaves Dallas with choices: extend him, trade him, or risk losing him for nothing. Kypreos noted that even if Dallas signs him long-term, a trade later would still be on the table, including to a team like Seattle, which Robertson has already turned down once.
Pittsburgh, though, is the team Kypreos kept coming back to. He suggested the Penguins’ move to bring in Jason’s brother, Nick, may not have been random at all.
The idea is that it could help make Pittsburgh more appealing down the line, whether that comes through a trade or free agency. Kypreos also said Robertson is genuinely interested in the market.
The Penguins have the cap room to make a swing, with $10 million available this season and more than $60 million next season. That matters because Robertson’s next contract is expected to come in around $16-18 million per year, and not many teams can make that work.
Pittsburgh can.
The other big talking point was the early comparison between the 2026 draft’s top two picks: Gavin McKenna to Toronto and Ivar Stenberg to San Jose. Preseason has only made the debate louder.
McKenna has flashed creativity and skill, but he has just one assist so far. Even so, the underlying numbers - zone entries, possession time, slot passes - have looked strong.
Stenberg, meanwhile, put up a hat trick and four points, which naturally fueled the “he’s more NHL-ready” crowd.
It’s still far too soon to draw firm conclusions. Neither player has taken on real NHL competition yet, and their situations are very different.
McKenna is stepping into the Toronto spotlight, where every shift gets scrutinized. Stenberg has a quieter path in San Jose, away from that kind of pressure.
Both look like future stars, but the way they handle those environments could matter just as much as raw talent. The first real checkpoint comes October 19th, when the two finally go head-to-head.
In Other News...
Maple Leafs Have A Waiver Chance That Could Heat Up Canadiens Rivalry
Ryan Suzuki landing on waivers gives the Maple Leafs an interesting depth option at a time when roster shuffling is already part of the daily grind around the league. Ottawa made the move as it adjusts its lineup, and Toronto, always looking for low-cost ways to bolster its organization, now has a brief window to decide whether it wants to get involved.
The wrinkle, of course, is the family tie to Montreal, where Nick Suzuki has become one of the Canadiens most important players. Any claim by Toronto would not just be about adding another body to the mix, it would also add a fresh layer to a rivalry that never needs much help getting hotter. For now, though, there has been no official claim or transaction reported. [Read more 🡒]
Maple Leafs May Have To Risk A Core Young Piece Here
The Maple Leafs are once again circling a deal that would reshape the top end of their forward group, with Toronto and Columbus reportedly deep in discussions over Kirill Marchenko. Marchenko is still a restricted free agent and does not have an extension in place, which makes the timing of any move especially delicate for a Leafs team looking to upgrade without losing too much ground in the process.
Matthew Knies and draft picks have surfaced as the kind of assets that could be involved, which is exactly the sort of price Toronto has to weigh carefully when chasing a player with upside. Nothing has been finalized or officially confirmed, and the talks remain fluid, but this is the kind of trade conversation that forces a club to decide how much of its young core it is willing to risk for a potential swing. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins Fans Are Suddenly Watching A Strange Marchenko Trade Rumor
Morgan Riellys situation is one of the more interesting wrinkles around the Maple Leafs as the season approaches, because Jim Hiller appears ready to give the veteran defenseman a different look. Rielly has struggled to find the right fit in recent seasons, but the new role is expected to put him in a position that better matches his offensive strengths and gives Toronto a cleaner read on what it still has in one of its most established blue-liners.
Elsewhere in the hockey rumor mill, a much stranger Boston-related thread has started making the rounds after social media users noticed Bruins players and Kirill Marchenko following each other on Instagram. It is the kind of detail that can send fans into overdrive even when the most likely explanation is pure coincidence, but it has still been enough to get people wondering whether there is anything more to the chatter. [Read more 🡒]