A big development has emerged regarding Connor McDavid to the Canadiens

The entire offseason conversation is framed as a question of whether GM Kent Hughes should trade for the Edmonton Oilers captain.

Insider Marc-Olivier Beaudoin reported that two separate sources confirmed Montreal would be among McDavid's preferred destinations if he ever chose to leave Edmonton.

TVA Sports' Renaud Lavoie debunked the house-hunting reports that lit the fuse, but the trade speculation had already spread across the league.

The debate has skipped the most relevant fact on the board. In October 2025, McDavid signed a two-year deal worth $12.5 million per season rather than accepting a maximum eight-year extension with Edmonton.

That was not an accident - it was a deliberate preservation of leverage. The deal leaves him a full unrestricted free agent in 2028, and Montreal does not need to spend a single asset to eventually put him in their lineup.

Montreal finished 2025-26 at 48-24-10 with 106 points. Cole Caufield earned a spot on the NHL's Second All-Star Team, while Jakub Dobes and Ivan Demidov both made the All-Rookie Team.

Trading core players and multiple first-round picks to land McDavid for two seasons would hollow out exactly the foundation that makes Montreal worth joining.

Kent Hughes and Martin St-Louis built this team with an identity and a direction.

Replacing that with a costly asset dump is a panic move dressed up as ambition. The Canadiens did not get to 106 points by abandoning their plan.

McDavid signed short-term because he wanted the ability to choose his next environment. That includes the city, the roster, and the culture he walks into in 2028.

If Montreal stays on its current trajectory, patience becomes their most powerful recruiting tool.

They may not have to pay the trade tax at all.