Edmonton Oilers superstar player Connor McDavid will go down as one of the greatest players in NHL history whenever he decides to retire. However, as the 2025-26 season is under two weeks away from starting, McDavid's name is buzzing around.
McDavid is set to become an unrestricted free agent after this season. It is a possibility that the superstar player could be wearing a new team's jersey in 2025-26.
Projections will constantly be made for which team McDavid will play for in 2026. New projections were recently made surrounding the Oilers superstar, and some of the projections could haunt the Ottawa Senators.
Some projections have McDavid heading to the Eastern Conference
Today, Bleacher Report had an article uploaded yesterday titled "B/R NHL Writers' Roundtable: Best Team for Connor McDavid in 2026?" Five writers made a projection for which team McDavid will play for.
Lyle Fitzsimmons had McDavid staying with the Oilers, while Lucky Ngamwajasat named the Chicago Blackhawks as the best choice for McDavid. However, three other writers had an Eastern Conference team for McDavid.
If McDavid was to head to the Eastern Conference, it can put a scare into the Senators knowing that the best player in the NHL is in the conference, and is a tough player to beat in the playoffs year after year.
Lyle Richardson named the Montreal Canadiens as the best team for McDavid; Adam Herman named the New York Rangers as the best team for McDavid; Joe Yerdon named the Buffalo Sabres as the best team for McDavid.
Two of the three teams named are in the Altantic Division with the Senators, while the Rangers have star players on their roster. If any of those three Eastern Conference teams named by Bleacher Report land McDavid in the 2026 free agency, the Senators would have huge competition in the conference to compete with the Stanley Cup.
Starting with the Canadiens. In 2025, the Canadiens made the playoffs for the first time since 2021. The Candiens have the reigning Calder Trophy winner Lane Hutson on the roster, and have other dynamic players. If McDavid is added, the Canadiens could become the clear favorites from the Atlantic Division to compete every year for the Stanley Cup.
"If McDavid wants to play for a team that gives him a serious chance at beating the Florida Panthers, he should join the Montreal Canadiens," Richardson said.
The Rangers could have uncertainty after this season with Artemi Panarin being a free agent like McDavid. However, McDavid would be a huge upgrade over Panarin in the lineup. The Rangers have solid players on the roster with Mika Zibanejad, Adam Fox, Vincent Trochek and Alexis Lafreniere, which could be enticing for McDavid to play with.
McDavid would also get the big New York City buzz with playing with the Rangers. McDavid would also get elite goaltending with Igor Shesterkin, which goaltending has been an issue with Edmonton during his whole tenure.
"If you think about what McDavid might view as Edmonton's most significant shortcomings, the Rangers conveniently match those as strengths," Herman said.
The Sabres may be the unique choice in a way of it should've happened years ago. In 2015, the Sabres lost out on the draft lottery to draft McDavid first overall. Instead, the Sabres drafted Jack Eichel with the second overall pick. Had McDavid been drafted by Buffalo, the Sabres may have ended their current 14-year playoff drought by now.
The Sabres still have promising players on the roster that could entice McDavid to play with. Tage Thompson, Owen Power and Rasmus Dahlin are solid players, but the rest of the roster could be a concern. Even with a shaky roster, McDavid would make the Sabres better if he was to join.
"Call them Buffalo," Yerdon said.
Yerdon mentioned in the article that "McDavid was meant to be a Sabre" with a picture of him playing for the Erie Otters in 2014 in Buffalo, New York.
McDavid's name will continue to be thrown around this season if a new extension in Edmonton isn't signed. However, with three teams being named as his best team to join, it could put fear for a team like the Senators.