Matthew Tkachuk hints at Connor McDavid trade after Cup Final

In Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final last year, Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk predicted in the handshake line with the Edmonton Oilers that he would see Connor McDavid and the rest of the team the following year for another go at the championship.

And he was right. Unfortunately for McDavid, the Panthers once again came out on top, defeating the Oilers 5-1 in Game 6 for their second straight Stanley Cup.

While McDavid explained to media after the heartbreaking loss that the Panthers were just too good for the Oilers as he gave credit to the Florida squad, which has now played in three Stanley Cup Finals, winning two of them.

“We lost to a really good team. Nobody quit, nobody threw the towel in,” McDavid said. “They’re a heck of a team. You know, the Stanley Cup champions back to back for a reason.”

When Tkachuk spoke with reporters as the celebrations unfolded, he also had some good words to offer McDavid, though he also, perhaps intentionally, hinted at some trade rumours involving the Oilers’ captain.

“When you have a player that good and that talented, he’s going to win (the Stanley Cup) one day. Wherever it is.”

It wasn’t long after the Oilers’ loss that some fans started posting pictures of McDavid in a different uniform, more often than not in the Toronto Maple Leafs’ colours.

McDavid, who is eligible to sign a new deal on July 1, is the face of the franchise in Edmonton and fans are hoping to see him re-sign, just like close friend and star temmate Leon Draisaitl did last summer when he inked a contract worth $14M AAV through 2032-33. The Oilers enter this off-season with $11.96 million in cap space to play with, per Puck Pedia, and 19 players already under contract for next season.

I can’t say that after losing yet again in the Stanley Cup Final McDavid will be in a hurry to sign an extension. And that, along with Tkachuk’s comments, will only fuel trade rumours around the Oilers’ superstar.