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Connor McDavid landing spots: 3 destinations for the superstar if he decides to leave the Edmonton Oilers
Connor McDavid is the best player in hockey - and arguably one of the best players of all time. Any team would love to have him as he can change the entire direction of a franchise.
If McDavid asks for a trade from the Edmonton Oilers following their series loss to the Vegas Golden Knights, all 31 other teams should check in to see what it would take to acquire him.
As such, here are three potential landing spots if Connor McDavid asks for a trade:
#1 Anaheim Ducks
The Anaheim Ducks are in a rebuild, but they are one of the few teams with enough assets and cap space to make a trade work. Anaheim ended the 2022-23 season with over $13 million in cap space which is enough to absorb the $12.5 million McDavid makes.
The trade can start with the second overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft which is likely Adam Fantilli, a center out of the University of Michigan who projects as a legit No. 1 center in the NHL.
Outside of that, the Ducks can move future first-round picks, top prospect Ollen Zellweger (who is a defenseman and will likely be in the NHL next season) and possibly goalie prospect Lukas Dostal (who played in the AHL last season).
Anaheim is also a nice city to live in and the warm weather and the young core could entice Connor McDavid to waive his no-trade clause.
#2 Buffalo Sabres
Buffalo lost the chance to draft Connor McDavid back in 2015 as the Edmonton Oilers won the draft lottery and the Sabres came second and took Jack Eichel. Now, the Sabres can have a full-circle moment and acquire the best player in the league to really cement Buffalo as a Stanley Cup contender next season.
The Sabres also have enough cap space to send out a few players to make the math work and have a quality prospect pool and a ton of picks to move to make a trade with Edmonton.
The Sabres have also been vocal about wanting to compete soon and there is no better way than adding Connor McDavid. Adding the Canadian alongside Tage Thompson would give Buffalo a formidable duo, much like McDavid and Leon Draisaitl were in Edmonton.
#3 Toronto Maple Leafs
This one is a longshot, but both Toronto and Edmonton have fallen short in the playoffs and perhaps will look to make big changes.
The Leafs could move Auston Matthews or Mitch Marner (and some picks and prospects) to make the math work, and this would go down as one of the biggest trades in NHL history.
Connor McDavid would also likely waive his no-trade clause as he would get to play for his hometown team.
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