Connor McDavid speaks, and opens the door for a future outside of Edmonton
You have to presume that Connor McDavid knows what it means to be Connor McDavid, so he knows at least two things. One, how important he is to the Oilers, to the city of Edmonton, to the province of Alberta, and to the sport; two, how goddamn great he is. His nickname is McJesus, and it fits; in Oilers terms, he is the true heir to hockey's god.
That also means McDavid's every word must sometimes be treated like scripture, a sacred text. Thursday McDavid spoke, two days after losing a second straight Stanley Cup final to the Florida Panthers. Disappointment and a fear of the future swirled in the air. Like when McDavid was asked whether he feels he has unfinished business in Edmonton, for instance.
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Global News
17 minutes ago
- Global News
ANALYSIS: Stanley Cup winners a masterclass in leadership
Tuesday night, the Florida Panthers gave us all a masterclass in leadership. What was amazing to watch and listen to after the game was every single member of the Panthers finding six different ways to say the same thing. The commitment to win. The commitment to each other. It was as much about the emotional as it was about strategy. Story continues below advertisement To a man, they spoke of the respect for each and every teammate, whether they played or not. It wasn't about analytics or statistics, it was about appreciation for each other. It was, in a word, about culture. There was no better example of that culture than the decision by the leadership group to present the Cup to all the first-time winners before the back-to-back champions carried the trophy. With all the talk in recent weeks about how Florida has such an advantage in luring players to play in the Sunshine State, it is the culture — not the taxes, not the weather — that the winners celebrated. It wasn't about money. It was about people. Taxes don't create culture. People create culture. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy By the way, that's the type of culture that we see now in Winnipeg — the culture that helped the Jets win the Presidents' Trophy. Story continues below advertisement In so many ways, it's why hockey is the ultimate team sport. Stars rarely play more than a third of the game, and role players can make a difference in a team's success. The Panthers were just that much better than Edmonton. What always amazes me is the price players pay to win the Stanley Cup. Matthew Tkachuk had an adductor torn off the bone and a sports hernia, Aleksander Barkov had his hand cut open in Game 1 and played the whole series with the palm of his hand stitched up, and Sam Reinhart, who scored four times in the last game, had a Grade 2 MCL strain that would have put most players out for eight weeks. He missed two games in the third round. Playing through pain, paying the price. It is all part of the story of winning. So now, just when we thought the season was over, it's on to the draft, and free agency, where the only injuries to report will be the bruised wallets of the owners.
National Post
26 minutes ago
- National Post
Panthers' Sam Bennett bleepin' says he's staying with Cup champions
Article content Sam Bennett 'ain't f—ing leaving.' Article content His words. Not ours. Article content Article content During a Florida Panthers Stanley Cup celebration party in Miami on Thursday night, Bennett, on stage with teammate Sam Reinhart, indicated to a frenzied crowd that he's going to re-sign with the Panthers rather than hit free agency on July 1. Article content Via text on Friday morning, Bennett's agent, Darren Ferris, told us no new contract with the Panthers was done. Article content Article content 'It was an incredible and emotional night for the Panthers and well-deserved,' Ferris said. 'The celebrations have been amazing to see, and Sam's just taking it all in with his teammates right now. Article content 'At this time, no contract has been signed — when there's something official, we'll share it accordingly.' Article content Panthers general manager Bill Zito said on Tuesday night after the Panthers beat the Edmonton Oilers to repeat as Cup champions that he thinks he can bring back all three of the club's bold-face potential free agents — Bennett, Brad Marchand and Aaron Ekblad. Article content At the least, expect Bennett talks between Ferris and Zito to pick up. Article content Along with Mitch Marner (another Ferris client), Bennett would be at the top of the free-agent list. Article content After winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoffs MVP, Bennett is line for a major bump in pay. The centre, who is celebrating his 29th birthday on Friday, is coming off a four-year contract that carried an average annual value of $4.425 million US. Article content Article content Another substantial name came off the free-agent board on Thursday when Matt Duchene, who had 82 points in 82 games last season with the Dallas Stars, signed a four-year pact to remain in Dallas. Duchene's AAV is $4.5 million, leading some to speculate that the Leafs could retain John Tavares with a similar AAV. It's likely too low to keep Tavares in Toronto, no matter the length of a potential contract. Article content As for a union between the Leafs and Bennett, as much as he represent a major alteration to the club's DNA that general manager Brad Treliving seeks, don't count on it. In the small chance (seemingly) that Bennett goes to the open market, he reportedly doesn't have interest in signing with Toronto. Article content
Toronto Sun
28 minutes ago
- Toronto Sun
Panthers' Sam Bennett bleepin' says he's staying with Cup champions
Get the latest from Terry Koshan straight to your inbox Sam Bennett of the Florida Panthers celebrates with the Stanley Cup after defeating the Edmonton Oilers in Game 6 of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final at Amerant Bank Arena on June 17, 2025 in Sunrise, Fla. Photo by Christian Petersen / Getty Images Sam Bennett 'ain't f—ing leaving.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account His words. Not ours. During a Florida Panthers Stanley Cup celebration party in Miami on Thursday night, Bennett, on stage with teammate Sam Reinhart, indicated to a frenzied crowd that he's going to re-sign with the Panthers rather than hit free agency on July 1. Via text on Friday morning, Bennett's agent, Darren Ferris, told us no new contract with the Panthers was done. 'It was an incredible and emotional night for the Panthers and well-deserved,' Ferris said. 'The celebrations have been amazing to see, and Sam's just taking it all in with his teammates right now. 'At this time, no contract has been signed — when there's something official, we'll share it accordingly.' Panthers general manager Bill Zito said on Tuesday night after the Panthers beat the Edmonton Oilers to repeat as Cup champions that he thinks he can bring back all three of the club's bold-face potential free agents — Bennett, Brad Marchand and Aaron Ekblad. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. At the least, expect Bennett talks between Ferris and Zito to pick up. Along with Mitch Marner (another Ferris client), Bennett would be at the top of the free-agent list. After winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoffs MVP, Bennett is line for a major bump in pay. The centre, who is celebrating his 29th birthday on Friday, is coming off a four-year contract that carried an average annual value of $4.425 million US. Another substantial name came off the free-agent board on Thursday when Matt Duchene, who had 82 points in 82 games last season with the Dallas Stars, signed a four-year pact to remain in Dallas. Duchene's AAV is $4.5 million, leading some to speculate that the Leafs could retain John Tavares with a similar AAV. It's likely too low to keep Tavares in Toronto, no matter the length of a potential contract. As for a union between the Leafs and Bennett, as much as he represent a major alteration to the club's DNA that general manager Brad Treliving seeks, don't count on it. In the small chance (seemingly) that Bennett goes to the open market, he reportedly doesn't have interest in signing with Toronto. tkoshan@ X: @koshtorontosun Toronto & GTA MMA World News Sunshine Girls
