<a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/edmonton-oilers-executives-begin-in-person-meetings-connor-mcdavid-agent-extension">Connor McDavid has made his stance clear</a>: He won’t sign a new contract in Edmonton until he sees a plan.
Winning is the only priority for McDavid and the rest of the Oilers’ core; the league&#8217;s top player is well within his rights to hold the organization to the highest possible standard.

With that said, don&#8217;t get it twisted about the Oilers&#8217; ability to navigate through this situation. The attitude from folks online has made it seem like the team has fumbled at every stage of the McDavid era. They&#8217;ve gone to back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals and arguably lost to the best team since the turn of the century. General manager <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/how-stan-bowman-keep-edmonton-oilers-stanley-cup-window-open-long-term">Stan Bowman</a> knows what he&#8217;s doing and won&#8217;t allow his time in Edmonton to be tainted by the departure of the best player the sport has seen since Wayne Gretzky.
The first domino fell on Wednesday with <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/what-the-evander-kane-trade-means-for-the-edmonton-oilers">Evander Kane</a> moving to the Vancouver Canucks. The destination was slightly surprising, but moving on from an ageing power forward was the right move for the Oilers. The trade frees up $5.125 million and pushes Edmonton&#8217;s <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/edmonton-oilers-salary-cap-picture-more-clear-evander-kane-trade">cap space to just over $17 million</a>. A fourth-round pick came back in the deal, which was the pick Edmonton moved to Vancouver last summer in the Vasily Podkolzin trade.
You can also expect to see Viktor Arvidsson move within the next few days. Reports say the two parties are mutually interested in finding Arvidsson a new home. The Swedish forward was given every opportunity to succeed in Edmonton, playing alongside Leon Draisaitl for the majority of the regular season, but couldn&#8217;t find a way to get comfortable consistently enough. He had moments in the playoffs; being a healthy scratch in Game 6 versus Florida looked like the final straw.
Now, you&#8217;ve taken out two contributing players, leaving you with limited cap space to find replacements. Don&#8217;t get me wrong, the moves had to be done because Bowman needs to pay <a href="https://publish.oilersnation.com/2025/06/25/four-year-term-possible-edmonton-oilers-evan-bouchard-avoid-any-drama/">Evan Bouchard</a> this summer. A recent trip to Ontario to visit the Bouchard camp would suggest that talks are well underway. Recent reports suggest that Bouchard could sign within the next week, but only to a four-year deal that would still come in around $10 million a year. An eight-year deal would&#8217;ve been more ideal, but keeping costs down on players seems to be a goal of Bowman&#8217;s. If an eight-year deal were to occur instead, you&#8217;d have to imagine that&#8217;s hitting the $11.5 million range rather than the assumed $10 million on a shorter term.
Once that figure comes in, a section of the fan base won&#8217;t like it. My advice to those fans is to think about what this team would look like without Bouchard in the lineup. Think about the days when Corey Potter or Philip Larsen were running the Oilers&#8217; top-unit power play. Did you enjoy watching those guys play? It&#8217;s safe to assume you didn&#8217;t.
There&#8217;s no denying that Bouchard&#8217;s gaffes are obvious. It&#8217;s an area that he needs to tidy up. With that said, they happen far less than you think, and the positive is always going to outweigh the bad with him. Bouchard has Norris-level potential. He isn&#8217;t as flashy as Cale Makar and Quinn Hughes might be, but he&#8217;s certainly not as far away from that level as some will have you think. Signing Bouchard comes with the lowest risk this summer. The only worry is what his number will be after those four years are up.
Goaltending was also addressed as an area Bowman wants to improve on. Easier said than done. The free-agent class is filled with backup-level goalies, with no true upgrade. Sure, you can talk about the Oilers signing Anton Forsberg or Ilya Samsonov, but is that truly going to move the needle? The answer is no. They’ll need to become more involved in the trade market.
John Gibson is a name that is frequently mentioned. He’d help take the tandem to the next level. Health has become a question mark for Gibson, but when healthy, he can be a difference-maker. You’d still need the insurance of having Stuart Skinner around, given Gibson&#8217;s injury history. The conversation can&#8217;t be about getting younger and then moving on from your 26-year-old goaltender who has helped you reach the Stanley Cup Final in consecutive seasons. Let Gibson, or whatever other upgrade you can find, come in and split the regular-season workload with Skinner.
The vibes around the Oilers are much different this summer than last. Jeff Jackson made mistakes last July, which damaged the team&#8217;s chances of winning the Stanley Cup. Now, Stan Bowman has no room for error. Injecting youth and speed back into the lineup is crucial. That doesn&#8217;t mean finding every 20-year-old available and hoping for the best, but rather seeking out those 25- to 28-year-old players who can provide the specific attributes you&#8217;re looking for.
The Oilers don&#8217;t need to be perfect heading into the regular season; the Florida Panthers certainly weren&#8217;t, and look what happened there. Make the key improvements between the pipes, find a couple of new pieces for your forward group, and get Bouchard to sign on the dotted line. You&#8217;re likely going to find McDavid signs his new deal shortly after.
It&#8217;s all easier said than done, but Bowman has the experience working in these high-risk times—it&#8217;s time to prove it and show Edmonton why he&#8217;s a multi-time Stanley Cup-winning general manager.

Edmonton Oilers Stan Bowman Kris Knoblauch

<a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/edmonton-oilers-executives-begin-in-person-meetings-connor-mcdavid-agent-extension">Connor McDavid has made his stance clear</a>: He won’t sign a new contract in Edmonton until he sees a plan.
Winning is the only priority for McDavid and the rest of the Oilers’ core; the league's top player is well within his rights to hold the organization to the highest possible standard.

With that said, don't get it twisted about the Oilers' ability to navigate through this situation. The attitude from folks online has made it seem like the team has fumbled at every stage of the McDavid era. They've gone to back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals and arguably lost to the best team since the turn of the century. General manager <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/how-stan-bowman-keep-edmonton-oilers-stanley-cup-window-open-long-term">Stan Bowman</a> knows what he's doing and won't allow his time in Edmonton to be tainted by the departure of the best player the sport has seen since Wayne Gretzky.
The first domino fell on Wednesday with <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/what-the-evander-kane-trade-means-for-the-edmonton-oilers">Evander Kane</a> moving to the Vancouver Canucks. The destination was slightly surprising, but moving on from an ageing power forward was the right move for the Oilers. The trade frees up $5.125 million and pushes Edmonton's <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/edmonton-oilers-salary-cap-picture-more-clear-evander-kane-trade">cap space to just over $17 million</a>. A fourth-round pick came back in the deal, which was the pick Edmonton moved to Vancouver last summer in the Vasily Podkolzin trade.
You can also expect to see Viktor Arvidsson move within the next few days. Reports say the two parties are mutually interested in finding Arvidsson a new home. The Swedish forward was given every opportunity to succeed in Edmonton, playing alongside Leon Draisaitl for the majority of the regular season, but couldn't find a way to get comfortable consistently enough. He had moments in the playoffs; being a healthy scratch in Game 6 versus Florida looked like the final straw.
Now, you've taken out two contributing players, leaving you with limited cap space to find replacements. Don't get me wrong, the moves had to be done because Bowman needs to pay <a href="https://publish.oilersnation.com/2025/06/25/four-year-term-possible-edmonton-oilers-evan-bouchard-avoid-any-drama/">Evan Bouchard</a> this summer. A recent trip to Ontario to visit the Bouchard camp would suggest that talks are well underway. Recent reports suggest that Bouchard could sign within the next week, but only to a four-year deal that would still come in around $10 million a year. An eight-year deal would've been more ideal, but keeping costs down on players seems to be a goal of Bowman's. If an eight-year deal were to occur instead, you'd have to imagine that's hitting the $11.5 million range rather than the assumed $10 million on a shorter term.
Once that figure comes in, a section of the fan base won't like it. My advice to those fans is to think about what this team would look like without Bouchard in the lineup. Think about the days when Corey Potter or Philip Larsen were running the Oilers' top-unit power play. Did you enjoy watching those guys play? It's safe to assume you didn't.
There's no denying that Bouchard's gaffes are obvious. It's an area that he needs to tidy up. With that said, they happen far less than you think, and the positive is always going to outweigh the bad with him. Bouchard has Norris-level potential. He isn't as flashy as Cale Makar and Quinn Hughes might be, but he's certainly not as far away from that level as some will have you think. Signing Bouchard comes with the lowest risk this summer. The only worry is what his number will be after those four years are up.
Goaltending was also addressed as an area Bowman wants to improve on. Easier said than done. The free-agent class is filled with backup-level goalies, with no true upgrade. Sure, you can talk about the Oilers signing Anton Forsberg or Ilya Samsonov, but is that truly going to move the needle? The answer is no. They’ll need to become more involved in the trade market.
John Gibson is a name that is frequently mentioned. He’d help take the tandem to the next level. Health has become a question mark for Gibson, but when healthy, he can be a difference-maker. You’d still need the insurance of having Stuart Skinner around, given Gibson's injury history. The conversation can't be about getting younger and then moving on from your 26-year-old goaltender who has helped you reach the Stanley Cup Final in consecutive seasons. Let Gibson, or whatever other upgrade you can find, come in and split the regular-season workload with Skinner.
The vibes around the Oilers are much different this summer than last. Jeff Jackson made mistakes last July, which damaged the team's chances of winning the Stanley Cup. Now, Stan Bowman has no room for error. Injecting youth and speed back into the lineup is crucial. That doesn't mean finding every 20-year-old available and hoping for the best, but rather seeking out those 25- to 28-year-old players who can provide the specific attributes you're looking for.
The Oilers don't need to be perfect heading into the regular season; the Florida Panthers certainly weren't, and look what happened there. Make the key improvements between the pipes, find a couple of new pieces for your forward group, and get Bouchard to sign on the dotted line. You're likely going to find McDavid signs his new deal shortly after.
It's all easier said than done, but Bowman has the experience working in these high-risk times—it's time to prove it and show Edmonton why he's a multi-time Stanley Cup-winning general manager.

Oilers Thoughts: A High-Risk Summer for Stan Bowman

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