In today’s NHL rumors rundown, Connor McDavid is reportedly not going to be joining the Edmonton Oilers right away. Is it an injury? Are the Oilers worried about his mental state after a big loss? What’s keeping him out of the lineup? Meanwhile, Jonathan Toews has squashed any rumors of a potential trade deadline deal. What are his plans for next season? Finally, are the Toronto Maple Leafs talking themselves out of the fact that they should be deadline sellers?
There was a trade already on Tuesday (the Islanders and Blues), and the action could be picking up over the next few days.
McDavid Will Miss a Few Games for the Oilers
It doesn’t appear that Connor McDavid will rejoin the Edmonton Oilers lineup right away following his return from the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina. According to head coach Kris Knoblauch, there’s no definitive timeline on when he’ll be back, but it’s not expected that he will play on Wednesday versus the Anaheim Ducks or Thursday versus the Los Angeles Kings.
Related: NHL Rumors: Bruins & Oilers Linked to Flyers, Plus Trocheck and Bobrovsky Talk
“I don’t think he will leave immediately, but I think tomorrow is exactly when he joins the team,” Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch said Sunday. “And when he’s ready to play, we’ll obviously have to have some conversations with him.”
Outside of an unconfirmed rumor that he might be dealing with a minor hand injury, one has to wonder if the Oilers are also thinking about giving him a bit of a mental reset. The narrative that McDavid is struggling in close-out games that mean everything is not ideal. The Oilers need him to be mentally focused and ready to put the sting of the Olympic loss behind him.
Toews Not Leaving Jets, Returning Next Season?
“I wouldn’t consider going anywhere,” Jonathan Toews told The Athletic during a one-on-one interview Monday. He added that despite the Jets being abysmal this season and likely not making the playoffs, “I want to keep playing for this team.”
Toews added:
“I don’t even know that we’re not a playoff team. Even throughout our 11-game winless streak, there were so many nights where we were inches away from scoring a tying goal or a winning goal or we give one up late, losing in overtime. There were so many situations where all of the little things that could go wrong did … We’re going to find a way to make them go right.”
source – ‘Jonathan Toews weighs in on NHL trade deadline: ‘I wouldn’t consider going anywhere’’ Murat Ates – The Athletic – 02/24/2026
Notable about the comments is that Toews is not under contract for next season. He signed a one-year, $2 million playoff-bonus-heavy deal. He hasn’t talked about an extension yet, but one has to believe that’s coming.
“I’m obviously thankful for the opportunity that the Jets organization and coaching staff have given me to be able to play in the NHL again. It was an adjustment period this year, but I want to keep playing for this team.”
Maple Leafs Not Convinced They Should Be Sellers?
As per TSN’s Darren Dreger, Toronto feels that they’re very much in the playoff conversation. Despite their record and struggles this season, GM Brad Treliving is not ready to throw the towel in on the season. On the Sekeres & Price show, Dreger reported that there is a sense of uncertainty about which direction they should go.
The question beyond whether the Leafs can get in is how competitive they’ll be if they do.
