Fans and analysts are going to read far too much into the comments made by Connor McDavid on Saturday night — comments in which he praised the coaching of Jon Cooper and seemed to throw shade at the coaching in Edmonton. Every other post on Sunday morning is quoting McDavid, who called the Lightning an organized, perfectly coached, and very, very impressive team. He then told the media to go ask Kris Knoblauch why the Oilers aren’t as tight.
It was one of those quotes where everyone in the room looked around at one another and wondered what he meant. McDavid is well aware that whatever he says has an impact. When he speaks, everyone hangs on his words. So, why go this far with his praise for the Lightning and leave so many open questions about where things sit in Edmonton?
Was McDavid trying to tell management that something in Edmonton needs to change? This is now the second star player — Leon Draisaitl, just before the Olympic break — to hint that the coaching isn’t good enough. Interestingly, it’s now the second time that said star player has made the comments on the heels of a pretty poor game personally.
When Draisaitl said it, he wasn’t great. Saturday night, McDavid tried to do it all himself, and it didn’t work. It was one of his poorer performances, with that top line a combined -9.
What Did McDavid Actually Say?
Here are the quotes from the McDavid availability after the game on Saturday. It came when he was asked about the Lightning and their own superstar, Nikita Kucherov.
McDavid Oilers frustrated
“They got a great system. They’re perfectly coached. They all know what they’re doing all over the ice. It’s impressive. They are a great team. They’re extremely well coached, they’re extremely well organized. They’re very very rehearsed in everything that they do. It’s very impressive, and when you do break them down, they’ve got a heck of a goalie to backstop them.”
The Oilers’ captain was asked why Edmonton — a team that has gone to two Stanley Cup Finals — isn’t on the same level this season. McDavid responded, “That’s a coaching question you can ask Knobber that question. Obviously, we’ve been playing together a long time, and we feel like we’re somewhat rehearsed and organized, but not to their level.”
Related: Connor McDavid Sends a Message with Praise for Jon Cooper, Lightning
Ouch
Knoblauch was asked. He took a while before answering: “I don’t think so. I think the organization is fine.” He added:
“We’ve got a lot of new players right now with the injuries that we have; we’ve got some turnover. I think they had, obviously, Hedman being out. They’ve been together a long time, their group. Our core guys have been together a long time too, so you know, when things are going well, things look organized…”
So, Is McDavid Thinking About Tampa as an Option?
Again, while these comments on both sides might prove little more than a coach and a player being frustrated with the way things are going, fans and analysts will try to decipher some hidden meaning or subtle message. Among the questions that will surface… Was McDavid suggesting that the coaching needed to be changed? Was he hinting that he’s got one eye on Tampa, and if the Oilers struggle this season or miss the playoffs, he might be thinking it’s time for a change?
It was only last week that The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun said, “It is important as a matter of clarification to understand the context of No. 97 signing that team-friendly, two-year extension last fall. It did not necessarily mean he was signing it to be on the Edmonton Oilers through the 2027-28 season.” This doesn’t sound like the description of someone with a lot of patience.
So what if he’s thinking Tampa Bay and joining the coach he thinks has his team firing on all cylinders? The Oilers can’t let McDavid walk away, and Tampa has some excellent options if a trade is in the cards.
A Hypothetical Trade
It’s hard to know what fair value is when trading the best player in the world. I debated what would be a fair ask, looked at other big-name trades from the past, and wound up stumped. Eventually, I cheated and asked Grok. The response was interesting.
A hypothetical fair trade for Connor McDavid to the Tampa Bay Lightning this summer (pre-2026-27 season) could look like this:
Edmonton Oilers receive:
Brayden Point (C, $9.5M cap hit through 2029-30)
J.J. Moser (D, $6.75M cap hit starting 2026-27, 8-year extension)
Conor Geekie (top forward prospect, C/RW, ~21 years old)
Tampa Bay’s 2026 1st-round pick
Tampa Bay’s 2027 1st-round pick
Tampa Bay’s 2028 2nd-round pick (or conditional 1st if McDavid hits certain bonuses)
Brayden Point Tampa Bay
They add, from Tampa’s side: They lose Point (their 90+ point 1C) + Moser (now a locked-in top-4 D on a team-friendly long deal) + Geekie (their top prospect) + heavy picks. But gaining McDavid instantly makes them the overwhelming Cup favorite—pairing him with Kucherov, Jake Guentzel, Brandon Hagel, and Anthony Cirelli, etc., behind the best goalie in the league, this is a nightmare for others. Cap-wise, Tampa projects ~$88-90M committed for 2026-27 (with ~$104M cap ceiling), so outgoing ~$16M+ (Point + Moser + Geekie’s entry-level/bridge) and incoming $12.5M gives them breathing room to keep the core intact or add depth.
From Edmonton’s side, losing McDavid is catastrophic emotionally/fan-wise, but they get Point as a seamless 1B/2C upgrade (elite shooter/playmaker to run with Draisaitl), Moser as a young mobile top-4 D to complement Bouchard/Nurse/Ekholm, Geekie as high-upside youth, and multiple high picks to rebuild/re-tool faster. They shed $12.5M and add ~$16M incoming, so slight cap bump but way more flexibility long-term without fully tanking.
It’s a blockbuster to be sure. Fans from both sides will hate this deal and blast the return, some saying it’s too good for Tampa and others saying there’s no way the Oilers get that much. Herein lies the problem with trying to trade someone the caliber of McDavid.
Oilers fans can only hope his comments were nothing more than him showing some love to Coopper, who had said some really nice things about McDavid prior to Saturday’s game.
Next: Hope For Stanley Cup: Oilers or Canadiens?
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