Leafs fans are overreacting to Lauren Kyle McDavid's Instagram story
The NHL offseason has officially gone on too long.
Hockey fans have been starved for any sort of talking points over the course of the last few weeks, and it seems like any little crumb that is put out into the ether is being latched onto. Evander Kane’s feud with ex-NHL tough guy Kurtis Gabriel seems to have caught the attention of the hockey world throughout the past couple of days, but now it seems like Toronto Maple Leafs fans have moved on to something else.
Edmonton Oilers fans have become well accustomed to Leafs fans prophesying Connor McDavid’s eventual return to Toronto. It’s become a yearly occurrence for Leafs fans to proclaim that the Oilers captain is fed up with Edmonton and is surely on his way back to Toronto, despite there being next to no evidence of that being reality.
That narrative has crept around once again this September, although the catalyst for this round of rumours ups the ante in terms of ridiculousness.
This time, a subset of Leafs fans are pointing to a recent Instagram story from McDavid’s wife, Lauren Kyle McDavid, wearing Leafs-branded merchandise as a sign of where #97 is headed.
@sportsclubatelier/Instagram
The post has garnered quite a reaction from some of the Toronto faithful hoping it’s an indication that McDavid will be returning to his hometown sooner rather than later.
“Connor McDavid, you are a Toronto Maple Leaf,” said one Leafs fan
“McDavid to the Toronto Maple Leafs 2028,” said another.
Mcdavid to Toronto getting soft launched by his partner
ā āļøaethāļø (@aeth_WHU) September 2, 2026
“McDavid is coming to TO in 2 years, and there’s nothing ya’ll can do but cry… Will be hilarious to watch,” said one very confident Leafs fan.Ā
“McDavid is a Leaf,”Ā wrote a hopeful Toronto fan.
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On the surface, it would make sense that this would turn some heads and have some wondering why McDavid’s wife is styling Leafs gear. After all, her husband plays for the Oilers; why would she ever opt to wear merch that bears the logo of another NHL team?
However, a little bit of research would easily debunk this theory.
Outside of being married to the NHL’s best player, Lauren is a prolific entrepreneur who runs multiple different businesses. She got her start with an interior design firm under the name Kyle and Co. and has since expanded to multiple other ventures, including a premium sportswear label called Sports Club Atelier (SCA).
Through SCA, Lauren has worked with multiple different hockey teams to create premium merchandise under the label. That includes multiple collaborations with the Oilers and Hockey Canada. Not only that, but she has also become a big name in WAG playoff jackets and designed clothing for the wives and girlfriends of the Dallas Stars and the Stanley Cup-winning Carolina Hurricanes just this past season.
It makes sense that, headed into the new season, Lauren would be looking to extend SCA’s reach to collaborate with more teams. The Maple Leafs would simply be another way of naturally growing her brand and branching out to different markets.
The post that has stirred up this conversation didn’t even originate from Lauren’s Instagram account. She reposted a story from the SCA account asking for people to vote on their favourite colour of the upcoming merch.
SCA even posted a follow-up to all the rampant speculation, revealing that the brand is expanding to 12 teams this upcoming season, and that there will be an Oilers version of the merch being shown off.
“PSA: Everyone needs to relax,” the story read. “Sports Club Atelier is growing this year and expanding to 12 teams. We don’t discriminate, even the rivals.”
@sportsclubatelier/Instagram
Could he one day play for the Maple Leafs? Sure, but pointing to Lauren’s Instagram story advertising upcoming merch from her brand as proof would be a massive stretch and overreaction.