NHL Mailbag: When will Connor McDavid sign?
The continued dog days of summer mean another DFO mailbag.
Why not turn some of the spotlight over the summer to our readers after nine months of hogging it to ourselves?
Let’s jump right in.
Asked this question a couple of other places, wanted to get your take. What is the next “Zegras type” move you see a team making? Once a high talent, injuries/whatever derailed their potential. Buy low candidate. I’ve seen Kirby Dach thrown around. Any others?
— JC (@JCHockey_) August 13, 2025The Philadelphia Flyers made out like bandits when they acquired Trevor Zegras from the Anaheim Ducks. There’s no guarantee that Zegras pans out in the way the Flyers want, but the cost for acquisition makes it a can’t-miss for the Flyers to at least have taken a swing on it.
Kirby Dach was exactly that type of player when the Montreal Canadiens acquired him three years ago from the Chicago Blackhawks at the 2022 NHL Draft. I think those days are behind Dach, mainly due to his injury history. However, even when healthy, Dach has struggled to consistently perform at a top-six level.
Casey Mittlestadt’s name jumps out at me as one who fits this bill, but the Boston Bruins may have already gotten the jump on him. After being part ot the Charlie Coyle trade last season from the Colorado Avalanche, I’m not sure if we’ll see Mittlestadt on the move again this coming season; if he is made available, teams may want to consider taking a chance on him for Zegras-type reasons.
Are McDavid and Kaprizov playing "Extension Chicken" with each other, waiting to see who comes in first for what? And which team does it hurt more if it bleeds into the 2026 trade deadline territory?
— Skaswatch (@Skaswatch) August 11, 2025Connor McDavid is going to be the highest-paid player in the NHL – full stop. He doesn’t have to wait to see what any other player signs for to punch his ticket to the highest of ranks in the NHL. My best guess is that McDavid is taking his time chipping away at his new contract with the Edmonton Oilers as he mourns another Stanley Cup Final loss over the summer; if I’m a betting man, McDavid signs with the Oilers before the start of the regular season.
As for Kirill Kaprizov, his comparables have been set. Based on what Mikko Rantanen signed with the Dallas Stars and Mitch Marner with the Vegas Golden Knights, we know that Kaprizov is going to punch in an AAV north of $13 million at the very least. Speculatively speaking, I think this is a scenario in which the hold up may come down to a preferable destination on the side of the player.
buffalo sabres in 2030?
— Haahs (@Braare42352) August 14, 2025Not going to lie, this one made me laugh. But in all seriousness, who really knows where the Buffalo Sabres will be organizationally in a week’s time – let alone five years. After three unsuccessful rebuilds, flopped trades, and swings and misses in free agency, who honestly knows where the finish line for the madness in Buffalo ultimately is?
General Manager Kevyn Adams brought in some reinforcements to the management staff this summer, hiring Jarmo Kekalainen and Eric Staal as advisors to an otherwise rather inexperienced office. But the fact remains that the Sabres’ roster is largely the same; with the Atlantic division not looking to be any weaker, it may be yet another disappointing season for the Sabres.
What happened to all these earth shattering trades and offer sheets that the insiders promised?
— Tommy Huds (@TommyHuds) August 11, 2025This tends to happen every summer, and I don’t foresee it changing significantly. Insiders will report what they hear is being discussed and kicked around in think tanks behind the scenes, but it doesn’t always mean that it is imminent or a slam-dunk guarantee. I had expected more this summer with the rising salary cap, but many teams took the opportunity to take care of their own housekeeping with their newfound money rather than go big game hunting on the trade front. I’m curious to see what will happen next year after the salary cap jumps yet again for the second consecutive year.
As for offer sheets, the St. Louis Blues set a hell of a precedent in 2024 when they landed both Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway via this avenue. It probably set an unrealistic expectation for teams to revisit a tactic that has long been frowned upon within hockey circles for years. Will we see more eventually? Probably, but what the Blues did may ultimately prove to be a phenomenon.
This is a particularly challenging question to answer due to the numerous moving pieces. Carter Hart (and the four other players involved) have yet to be reinstated by the NHL, despite being found not guilty by the court of law. I have not heard any firm timeline on when (or if) any of the players will be eligible to return to the NHL, but my best guess would be no earlier than 2026. Again, that is purely a guess on my part.
As for destinations, the Oilers make a ton of sense in the world, don’t they? Sure, the Flyers will (presumably) keep tabs on Hart with their own goaltending situation being anything but certain, but Hart ending up in the Edmonton crease just seems like a match made in heaven, doesn’t it?
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