Connor McDavid’s idol is joining the Leafs and the timing after his first round exit is impossible to ignore

After a surprising first-round exit from the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Edmonton Oilers have a lot of questions to answer — mainly how did it go so wrong?

Well if you were to ask the captain and world's best player in Connor McDavid he would tell you exactly why. The team was average and didn't even put up a real fight though McDavid has a role to play in that as he wasn't his typical dominant self; though injuries may have factored in.

Though it was supposed to be the year that cemented him in Edmonton, it just marks off one year of his very limited time with the Oilers, and he could be looking for a new home in 2028. It also just so happens that the Toronto Maple Leafs are preparing for that outcome and leaving no stone unturned.

There is a real chance that Mats Sundin comes in as the VP of Hockey Operations and helps lead the Maple Leafs to success once again, and adding McDavid would be the coup of all coups and a potential McDavid/Matthews partnership is downright absurd.

He may be a bit more open to the move too considering he grew up idolizing Sundin and has a chance to win for his childhood hero:

In an open letter to Canadians in the Players Tribune in February 2026 ahead of the Olympics, he also name-dropped Sundin as well as Darcy Tucker, wanting to emulate them every time he turned on Hockey Night in Canada:

There's also a famous image of McDavid as a kid holding up a Maple Leafs jersey emblazoned with a C, and while he doesn't have the infamous #13 of Sundin — it shows he was destined to be one himself.

But to be able to win alongside someone you grew up idolizing is a surreal experience, and while obviously it's going to take an incredible investment, this is McDavid we're talking about.

Well, if this were a video game with force trades on then absolutely yes. But it's going to take a lot more in reality.

McDavid, if he were to hit free agency, will command upwards of $20-million a season. While that seems remarkably egregious, he is someone who you're guaranteed to have success with; he's generational.

That means he will get a max deal elsewhere of potentially $120-million spread over six years, and he's only the first free agent to sign.

Now you have Matthews' contract expiring the same time as McDavid, and while there are reservations about his health and offensive production, he's still an elite player in the league who will certainly want more than the $13.25-million he earns now.

If Toronto felt like they had a genuine shot at McDavid, they could pull Matthews aside and say 'Look, we're going to pay McDavid out the nose to bring him in for you.' In that case, Matthews may be willing to take a little pay cut knowing that a Cup is much more likely with McDavid in tow.

But there's also going to be other contracts and holes to fill that need to be paid for as well. A rising cap is great, but unless Toronto gets extremely lucky in the draft for the next two years; they need to trade or buy their improvements.

Can Mats Sundin bring Connor McDavid over to the Maple Leafs? Absolutely, but it will come at potentially the cost of Auston Matthews.

Which, from the sounds of it — is a pretty good trade-off.

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