Golden Knights Predicted to Land Connor McDavid originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Vegas Golden Knights landed the biggest free agent of the summer this year, acquiring star Mitch Marner from the Toronto Maple Leafs. Vegas entered the offseason looking to make a splash, and they made sure to get it done early.
But as the team looks toward the future, they still have the upcoming free agency of star Jack Eichel to deal with. While the Golden Knights would love to keep Eichel around, there could be a path that sees them let him leave.
In addition to Eichel entering free agency next summer, Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid is also scheduled to be a free agent. McDavid will be the main player on the free agent market, and every team will be vying for his services.
The Golden Knights could elect to go after McDavid instead of Eichel next offseason. This would put the biggest player in the NHL directly into one of the best cities in the United States.
NHL writer Adam Gretz of Bleacher Report put together a list of teams that could go after McDavid next offseason. The Vegas Golden Knights were listed within the list, linking them to the Oilers star.
“Salary cap? What salary cap?! They’ll figure it out later…Eichel is great. He helped Vegas win a Stanley Cup. But when has loyalty ever been a thing for the Golden Knights? This is the most cutthroat, win-at-all-costs organization in the NHL. If there is even a small chance that McDavid could be available, they’ll likely be plotting a way to get involved,” Gretz wrote.
The biggest issue for Vegas in the pursuit of McDavid would be the money. But if the team didn’t bring Eichel back, they could have enough to make a run at McDavid.
Adding McDavid to this team could instantly push the Golden Knights to the top of the NHL in terms of contention. Vegas is already a very solid team, especially with the addition of Marner now, but McDavid is an entirely different tier of player.
This could be a very solid landing spot for McDavid if he were to leave Edmonton after this coming season.
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 13, 2025, where it first appeared.