What else can the Edmonton Oilers get done this

offseason?

 

 

 

 

DENVER, COLORADO – NOVEMBER 30: Stuart Skinner #74 of the Edmonton Oilers takes a break in the second period of the game against the Colorado Avalanche at Ball Arena on November 30, 2024 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Tafoya/Getty Images)

Edmonton Oilers fans have grown used to a certain pace to each offseason. The playoffs end, the draft arrives, and the free-agent frenzy shuffles the roster for the following year. A trade or two adds to the excitement.

Last summer, fans received a jolt when the St. Louis Blues made headlines with dual offer sheets in mid-August for Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway. Edmonton general manager Stan Bowman immediately acquired defenceman Ty Emberson and winger Vasily Podkolzin in an effort to recover capable replacements for the loss of Broberg and Holloway.

This summer, Bowman made a July 8 trade for prospect winger Ike Howard, and the media avails that followed had the feel of completed business, save for coach Kris Knoblauch’s staff.

Is that all there is? Maybe. It may depend on other NHL teams and their plans for the fall. Here are things to watch for over the rest of the summer for Oilers fans

Coaching changes may bring new ideas

Every move made by the Oilers organization is parsed endlessly by fans and media. So, when the new coaching staff was announced, there was an immediate search for possible clues about the way forward. The news arrived this week with some interesting wrinkles.

Two of those moves might have an impact next season. First, Peter Aubry was introduced as the Oilers’ new goalie coach. If he can become a goalie whisperer for Edmonton starter Stuart Skinner (plus prospect Samuel Jonsson), and improve performance even a little, Aubry will become wildly popular among fans. He is the first new voice in this position in a decade, so there should be a fresh approach and perhaps a spike in save percentage.

Another tweak that could impact the team? Mark Stuart will be taking over from Paul Coffey (who returns to his advisory role with owner Daryl Katz) as the defence coach. That might open up alternatives and new ideas. An example: running Darnell Nurse and Jake Walman as the second pair, something that worked in a small sample during the regular season, could lead to more success under the new coaching staff.

Late summer trades?

The business of NHL trades and signings during the offseason is concentrated in a massive flurry in late June and early July. Last season’s acquisitions of Emberson and Podkolzin were rare examples of August procurement by the Oilers.

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In order for Bowman to make an earth-shattering deal over the summer, he would need a willing partner. Looking at the roster, the general manager may believe goaltending, right defence and a right-handed centre remain areas of need.

The goalie options are either intriguing waiver-wire names (Michael DiPietro of the Boston Bruins would be an astute acquisition) or unrestricted free agents still waiting for a call. There are no clear upgrades for Bowman currently available. There is nothing earth-shattering about the possibly available goaltenders.

Pro scouting

The club ran with Archie Henderson as pro scouting director at the start of Ken Holland’s time as general manager in 2019. Brad Holland replaced him and was given credit for helping secure free-agent Zach Hyman (a massive home run for the organization) in the summer of 2021. The Oilers hit on trades (Mattias Ekholm) and other free agents, but Brad Holland left the team in September 2024.

The Oilers’ pro scouting department is now headed by Warren Rychel, who was hired as a scout before the 2022 season and moved up to pro scouting director last year.

 

The early trade and free-agent bets made by Bowman (beginning with the Emberson and Podkolzin deals) have been successful. There’s a long way to go, and this summer’s moves (notably Andrew Mangiapane) appear to be astute signings based on the eye test and analytics.

This is an important (if underreported) part of an organization. Bowman himself would be heavily involved in these decisions, but the Henderson years set back the team in a material way. Pro scouting is important.

Loud noises

Analytics, and its application to on-ice strategy, is a key area for the Oilers moving forward. The team is heading for a big summer in 2026, the first year in a decade where cap room could be plentiful.

That offers opportunities and challenges.

A prime example could come in goal. Ken Holland was famous for eschewing big-salaried goaltenders, expressing the belief that a team should spend heavily only on the top two or three goalies in the game. When Holland left the organization, the Oilers spent to the cap limit with less than $4 million devoted to the two stoppers in net.

The change Edmonton fans want (a goalie) may have a chance to happen next summer. The opportunities include more cap room, expiring contracts (Adam Henrique, Mattias Ekholm, Brett Kulak and Jake Walman are all set for free agency in 2026) that could amount to more than $44 million in cap space, via PuckPedia, next summer.

The anticipated Connor McDavid contract will take a large portion of those dollars, but no one in ownership, management or the fan base will complain.

It will give Bowman a chance to go shopping at the top end for a goaltending solution. He could gift Edmonton with the team’s first impact goaltender since Curtis Joseph in the late 1990s.

Bowman, like Holland before him, faced a summer of reckoning in his first full swing at upgrading the Oilers roster. Bowman added badly needed youth (Matt Savoie and Ike Howard should contribute this winter) and has increased the quality and depth on defence with the acquisitions of Walman and Emberson. The Mangiapane addition has a chance to be another home run.

The goaltender trade Oilers fans wanted to see this summer does not appear to be close. Cap issues and the lack of quality trade or free-agent candidates forced Bowman to look to other areas of the roster this summer.

He can look for waiver options in the fall, other teams suddenly dissatisfied with their goaltending options, or keep his powder dry until the deadline. Summer 2026 would appear to be the best time for the organization to address the position.

It’s also possible Skinner and the goalie whisperer just hired by the Oilers will combine to resolve the biggest mystery on the tea