April 21, 2025, Los Angeles, California, USA: CONNOR MCDAVID of the NHL, Eishockey Herren, USA s Edmonton Oilers skates during warmups before a game against the Los Angeles Kings in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Quarter Finals at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California on April 21, 2025 Los Angeles USA - ZUMAc239 20250421_zsp_c239_016 Copyright: xAlexxCavex
April 21, 2025, Los Angeles, California, USA: CONNOR MCDAVID of the NHL, Eishockey Herren, USA s Edmonton Oilers skates during warmups before a game against the Los Angeles Kings in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Quarter Finals at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California on April 21, 2025 Los Angeles USA - ZUMAc239 20250421_zsp_c239_016 Copyright: xAlexxCavex
Connor McDavid has been the undisputed superstar on the Edmonton Oilers roster. However, the top-line center might be closing in on an exit.
Not only are the rumors there, but the lack of Stanley Cup success is a big hint towards a departure.
NHL insider Frank Seravalli indicated recently that the Oilers might not have any choice but to trade McDavid if he doesn’t sign another contract extension by 2027.
In 2025-26, McDavid delivered 138 points in the regular season, including 48 goals and 90 assists, the most in the league. But the Oilers captain couldn’t take them beyond the first round.
Despite these incredible numbers, McDavid's exit from the Oilers might not be a disaster, as per Oilers On Whyte. The NHL has seen a fair share of superstars leaving a franchise only for them to eventually win the big one.
Mar 10, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Edmonton Oilers center Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (93) Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
Mar 10, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Edmonton Oilers center Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (93) Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
In his 10 seasons with the St. Louis Blues, David Backes became one of their biggest superstars and even captained them. But the forward couldn't bring them the Stanley Cup before leaving as an unrestricted free agent in 2016.
This allowed the Blues to build an all-around unit of young and hungry players. They went on to win their first and only Stanley Cup title in 2018-19.
Legendary winger Jaromir Jagr was on a huge contract with the Washington Capitals from 2001 to 2004, but made the first round of the playoffs only once. After his relatively early departure, they had to rebuild themselves.
The Capitals secured their first Stanley Cup in the 2017-18 season thanks to a better overall roster and captain Alex Ovechkin.
Similar Stories From Other Sports Oilers Can Learn From
The Edmonton Oilers can draw inspiration from other sports as well. From soccer, it has to be Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).
The superstars at PSG, namely Lionel Messi, Neymar Jr., and Kylian Mbappe, were brought in to win the French club their first-ever UEFA Champions League (UCL) title. From the summer of 2021 to 2023, these forwards tried hard, but couldn’t deliver.
The eventual exit of these players spurred PSG on to win the UCL back-to-back in 2025 and 2026 with a more versatile team.
Simultaneously, the Oilers began turning their fortunes with consistent appearances in the playoffs. They had missed the postseason in 12 out of the previous 15 seasons until 2021.
Similarly, the Cleveland Cavaliers had an impressive trio of LeBron James, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, and Larry Hughes in the mid-2000s. But they had to wait for their first championship till 2016, when James paired up with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love.
Regardless, many Oilers fans won’t like the idea of McDavid leaving, let alone other superstar players like Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.
But there is hope beyond these superstars, who have lost two Stanley Cup Finals in 2024 and 2025 for the Oilers.
It will be interesting to see if the 29-year-old, who was frustrated at the end of last season, exits the Oilers this summer.
Share with us your prediction in the comments.
Read more at NHL Fan Central.
Written by
Arjun Sharma
Edited by
Sijo Paul