This is a big season for the Edmonton Oilers, given the implications of Connor McDavid‘s contract, as he is eligible to sign an extension on July 1st, 2027. Leon Draisaitl said the quiet thing out loud at the year-end media availability, talking about how the Oilers may have one year left of McDavid despite him just starting a two-year contract extension.
The leadership group asked for Mike Babcock to come in. However, the focus is on GM Stan Bowman, who has not improved the roster since he took over in the summer of 2024. The roster has gotten worse, and this past season, the Oilers lost to the Anaheim Ducks in Round 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Management Made the Edmonton Oilers Roster Worse Not Better
Bowman had to keep free agents and trade deadline acquisitions Connor Murphy and Jason Dickinson. In addition, after requesting a trade, Bowman moved Darnell Nurse to the San Jose Sharks for Shakir Mukhamadullin and Zack Sharp. Bowman then added depth to the organization by trading for Devon Levi from the Buffalo Sabres, signing Frederik Andersen, and signing Ryan Shea. He also kept Kasperi Kapanen.
Jim Biringer of NHLRumors.com and Full Press Hockey joined The Green Zone with Justin Blackwell and Scott Roblin, filling in for Jamie Nye, and was asked about the Edmonton Oilers and whether they are done adding to their roster this offseason.
NHLRumors.com Transcriptions
Host: “Justin Blackwell, Scott Roblin in for Jamie Nye, speaking with Jim Biringer from Full Press Hockey. Before I let you go, Jim, any more irons in the fire for the Edmonton Oilers to tweak their roster ahead of the season?”
Jim Biringer: “Seems like their roster is pretty much set, though. You never know with Edmonton and the way Stan Bowman works. I think there’s been a lot of criticism of this roster, a lot of criticism of the hiring of Mike Babcock. I think this feels like a Mike Babcock-type roster. If anything, you’re going to have to add a depth forward or depth defenseman, considering, again, Darnell Nurse is not there anymore, and you bring in Ryan Shea and used some of his dollars.
Darnell Nurse Expanding His List Helped Facilitate a Trade
If anything, if I’m Edmonton and I’m Stan Bowman, I got to continue to add depth. Because you listen to what Leon Draisaitl said at the end of the season, he talked about the guys that aren’t there anymore, and those are the depth pieces that they’re missing to get to a playoff spot and potentially get back to a Stanley Cup Final.”
Is this roster, as constructed, good enough to win a Stanley Cup? Probably not; that is why there will be some more tweaking around the edges. If the Oilers could, they would like to add a top-six forward, but that’s the case with most teams around the NHL this offseason.
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