Right off the top, it needs to be stated that you absolutely should not trade away the best player in the game. There's a common, and usually accurate, line of thinking that the team that comes away with the best player wins the trade, and so the Edmonton Oilers wouldn't really have a chance at winning if they ship Connor McDavid out of town.
McDavid is 29 years old. He's coming off a 138 point season, the second highest point total of his career. He's once again nominated for a slew of National Hockey League awards, and if Oilers general manager Stan Bowman actually put the word out that McDavid was available, he'd have 31 NHL clubs knocking at his door.
McDavid has the leverage
While the Oilers have given out questionable No Trade or No Movement clauses to other players, like Adam Henrique, the inclusion of that in McDavid's contrat makes complete sense. He has, for over a decade now, given Edmonton fans all he has, and he deserves that control over his destiny and destination.
In this hypothetical scenario, McDavid would be looking to move to a team that is already in contention for a Stanley Cup. One with solid goaltending, strong coaching, and roster depth that isn't going to give the game away between his shifts. So realistically, of the 31 clubs who'd be willing, McDavid is unlikely to see more than a handful as viable choices.
What comes back the Oilers' way
In the past few years, the biggest trades were probably Quinn Hughes to the Minnesota Wild, and Mikko Rantanen's dual moves, first from the Colorado Avalanche to the Carolina Hurricanes, and then from Carolina over to the Dallas Stars. But are the returns at all comparable to what McDavid might be worth?
Vancouver was in a bind, with Hughes vocally wanting an exit. They recieved three roster players and a 1st round pick, but one only needs to look at the end of regular season standings to assure themselves that Minnesota won that deal running away.
The return on the second Rantanen deal was as follows:
- Logan Stankhoven
- 2026 conditional 1st round pick
- 2028 conditional 1st round pick
- 2026 3rd round pick
- 2027 3rd round pick
Not enough
That was an excellent return for the Hurricanes, and Dallas has certainly been happy with Rantanen's performance as a Star, but there is simply no way that two 'conditional' 1st round picks equates with McDavid's value, especially with the current term remaining on his deal.
If—and we need to end the same way we started, by saying the Oilers should not deal McDavid away— but if the offers were coming in, the Oilers should be demanding the lopsided deals we've seen for NBA superstars, with five or more first round picks coming back to the Oilers, plus roster players. McDavid's departure should set the Oilers franchise up for future success, and the acquisition cost should hurt for the team that gets him, and instantly becomes a Cup favorite as a result.
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