<p>The Edmonton Oilers have seen several departures this offseason, with the likes of <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/corey-perry-talks-leaving-edmonton-oilers-joining-la-kings">Corey Perry</a>, Evander Kane, Connor Brown, Viktor Arvidsson, Jeff Skinner, and John Klingberg all off to new teams. In their place, the team has added some new pieces, like Andrew Mangiapane, Curtis Lazar, and newly acquired <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/edmonton-oilers-acquire-isaac-howard-tampa-bay-lightning-sam-oreilly">Isaac Howard</a>, along with making some coaching changes behind the bench.</p>
<p></p>
<p>After falling short in the Stanley Cup Final to the Florida Panthers once again, next season&#8217;s Oilers will both look and feel different under GM Stan Bowman’s direction. To some, all of the changes may seem a bit drastic, but Bowman recently appeared on the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BQQN3VpEj8&amp;t=315s">“100% Hockey Podcast”</a> and explained that even when his former team, the Chicago Blackhawks, were coming off Stanley Cup wins, he would still make changes the following season to bring in new energy, saying:</p>
<blockquote><p>“After when we won some of those years in Chicago, I never thought it made sense to bring everybody back. I always like to have a little bit of newness to the group — whether you win or lose, I think it’s important to try to have some guys that weren’t part of that group and didn’t experience the long runs. So for them, next year is&#8230; I think you need some of that newness and energy to push your group.” He added, “We have more of a veteran team. I think we’ve tried to get younger with some of the moves we made, because I think that’s important for a team to have some of that energy from players that haven’t been through it, through that grind of a season.”</p></blockquote>
<p>That said, the Blackhawks won Cups in 2010 and 2013, but they fell just short in 2014, losing to the Los Angeles Kings in Game 7 of the Western Conference Final, with the Kings going on to win the Cup. Still, heading into the 2014–15 season, Bowman had his core Blackhawks returning, like Patrick Kane, <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/nhl-notebook-winnipeg-jets-sign-jonathan-toews">Jonathan Toews</a>, Marian Hossa, Patrick Sharp, Duncan Keith, and Brent Seabrook, but made some minor re-tooling moves that helped get his team over the hump and the result was another Stanley Cup win in 2015.</p>
<p>Much like the 2014–15 Blackhawks at the start of that season, the Oilers enter 2025-26 with a strong returning core with hopes of getting over the hump with a few depth tweaks. Since Bowman pulled off a similar approach to win the Cup in Chicago, let’s revisit the depth additions he made for the 2014–15 campaign that helped make it happen.</p>
<h2>Bowman Signed Goaltender Scott Darling to a One-Year Deal</h2>
<p>On the first day of free agency in 2014, Bowman signed goaltender <a href="https://www.hockeyfights.com/articles/scott-darlings-rise-to-the-nhl">Scott Darling</a> — who had spent most of his career bouncing around the minor leagues — to his first NHL contract, a one-year, $575,000 deal. During the regular season, Darling took over the backup role from Antti Raanta and also impressed enough that the Blackhawks <a href="https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/blackhawks-sign-scott-darling-to-two-year-contract-extension/101968/">signed him to a two-year extension</a> in February 2015, midseason. The netminder finished the regular season with a 9-4-0 record, a 1.94 goals-against average (GAA), and a .936 save percentage (SV%).</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">79 shots, 77 saves, 2 wins. Scotty Darling&#39;s <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/StanleyCup?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#StanleyCup</a> Playoff career is off to a hot start. <a href="http://t.co/sqWOjwEDad">pic.twitter.com/sqWOjwEDad</a></p>
<p>&mdash; NHL (@NHL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NHL/status/590115197299384320?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 20, 2015</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>Additionally, Darling appeared in five playoff games in 2015 and earned his first postseason win in Game 1 of the first round against the Nashville Predators. The Blackhawks fell behind 3–0 before Darling replaced Corey Crawford, and Chicago rallied for a 4–3 double-overtime victory, which <a href="https://www.espn.com/blog/chicago/blackhawks/post/_/id/4688595/rookie-g-scott-darling-dazzles-hawks-thats-one-of-the-greatest-relief-performances-youre-going-to-see">head coach Joel Quenneville called</a> &#8216;one of the greatest relief performances you&#8217;re going to see.&#8217; All in all, he won three playoff games and posted a 2.28 GAA and .936 SV%, contributing to Chicago’s Cup win that season. As well, Darling became the first Illinois-born player to win the Stanley Cup with the Blackhawks, and his signing was a slam dunk for Bowman.</p>
<h2>Bowman Signed Brad Richards to a One-Year Deal</h2>
<p>The New York Rangers had just bought out the <a href="https://www.espn.com/new-york/nhl/story/_/id/11112553/new-york-rangers-buy-remaining-six-years-brad-richards-contract">remaining seven years of veteran Brad Richards’ contract</a> in June 2014, and Bowman made a low-risk move by signing the centerman to a one-year, $2 million deal on July 1, 2014.</p>
<p>Richards posted 37 points (12 goals, 25 assists) in 76 regular-season games with the Blackhawks and made an impact in the playoffs as well, serving as the team&#8217;s second-line center, mostly playing between <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/the-patrick-kane-debate">Patrick Kane</a> and Bryan Bickell and tallying 14 points (3 goals, 11 assists) in 23 postseason games. Moreover, he saved some of his best work for Game 6 of the Finals against his former team, the Tampa Bay Lightning.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">It&#39;s OFFICIAL: Welcome to Chicago, center Brad Richards! Signed to a 1-year deal.</p>
<p>&mdash; Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) <a href="https://twitter.com/NHLBlackhawks/status/484079703934783488?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 1, 2014</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>Richards <a href="https://www.espn.com/blog/chicago/blackhawks/post/_/id/4690094/blackhawks-season-review-brad-richards">assisted on the only two goals scored in Game 6</a> of the Finals, including a spectacular helper with just over five minutes remaining. He froze the opposition with a faked shot before sliding the puck over to Kane, who buried the one-timer to give the Blackhawks the insurance marker and seal the 2–0 Game 6 win to capture the Cup.</p>
<p>Richards’ veteran presence and timely contributions helped push the Blackhawks over the top, making Bowman’s one-year gamble on him a vital piece in winning another championship.</p>
<h2>Bowman Traded for Kimmo Timonen</h2>
<p>At the 2015 NHL Trade Deadline, Bowman made an intriguing move <a href="https://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/flyers-trade-timonen-blackhawks-picks/">by acquiring veteran D-man Kimmo Timonen</a> from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for a second-round draft pick and a conditional fourth-round pick. At 39 years old and recovering from blood clots that nearly ended his career, Timonen hadn’t played a single game that season before the trade, but Bowman saw value in the blueliner’s experience and leadership.</p>
<p>Timonen played in 16 regular-season games down the playoff stretch, averaging just under 12 minutes a night, and he also appeared in 18 postseason games, mainly in a third-pairing role, averaging just under nine minutes a night.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Jonathan Toews passing the Stanley Cup to 40-year-old Kimmo Timonen, who ended his career by finally hoisting the Cup <a href="http://t.co/WarjtgLjLf">pic.twitter.com/WarjtgLjLf</a></p>
<p>&mdash; The Canadian Game (@ItsCanadasGame) <a href="https://twitter.com/ItsCanadasGame/status/610675995310329856?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 16, 2015</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>While Timonen didn’t exactly light up the scoresheet, finishing without a point, his steady veteran presence on the blue line and inspirational leadership in the locker room made a difference after returning from nearly a full season off due to a blood clot. After the Blackhawks’ Game 6 win over the Lightning in the Finals, captain Jonathan Toews accepted the Stanley Cup from commissioner Gary Bettman<a href="https://thehockeynews.com/news/news/watch-a-micd-up-jonathan-toews-hand-kimmo-timonen-the-stanley-cup"> and handed it to Timonen</a>, who finally got the chance to hoist Lord Stanley before retiring after the season and going out as a champion.</p>
<h2>Bowman Traded a First-Round Pick for Antoine Vermette, Who Scored Three Game-Winners</h2>
<p>Just days before the 2015 NHL trade deadline, Bowman made a bold move, trading the Blackhawks’ 2015 first-round pick and a prospect to the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for forward <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/looking-back-at-stan-bowmans-most-impactful-in-season-trades-with-the-blackhawks">Antoine Vermette</a>, a veteran two-way center who had recorded 35 points in 63 games with Arizona before the trade.</p>
<p>However, the centerman had a tough time finding his rhythm in the final 19 games of the 2014-15 regular season, tallying only three assists. That said, despite early doubts, he stepped up in the playoffs, scoring three clutch game-winners during the Blackhawks’ 2015 Stanley Cup run.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Five years ago today&#8230; </p>
<p>More on the double-overtime hero, Antoine Vermette: <a href="https://t.co/qXo7MmoQgb">https://t.co/qXo7MmoQgb</a> <a href="https://t.co/ts1pSPwfho">pic.twitter.com/ts1pSPwfho</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) <a href="https://twitter.com/NHLBlackhawks/status/1264269870134226944?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 23, 2020</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>His first came in overtime of <a href="https://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/vermette-goes-from-healthy-scratch-to-2ot-hero/">Game 4 against the Anaheim Ducks</a> in the second round, tying the series 2-2. He followed that by scoring late in Game 1 of the Final, giving Chicago a key road win over Tampa Bay. His final game-winner came in Game 5 against the Lightning, and his three clutch tallies turned Bowman’s deal from a potential flop into a huge success, as Vermette became a major factor in the 2015 Cup win.</p>
<p>This time around, heading into the 2025–26 campaign with the Oilers, Bowman already has his veteran core intact, much like he did with his Blackhawks team almost a decade ago. However, while his last Cup win saw him prioritize adding experience, this time he appears to be shifting toward youth, with players like <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/could-matt-savoie-be-the-oilers-version-of-jake-guentzel">Matt Savoie</a> and Isaac Howard looking to crack Edmonton&#8217;s lineup next season.</p>
<p>For now, it’s a contrast to the approach he took nearly a decade ago, but the fact remains, Bowman found the missing pieces to win the Cup once before. And who knows, there’s still a long way to go before the 2026 playoffs. While he’s focused on getting younger now, that priority could shift by the time the trade deadline rolls around.</p>

Edmonton Oilers General Manager Stan Bowman

The Edmonton Oilers have seen several departures this offseason, with the likes of <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/corey-perry-talks-leaving-edmonton-oilers-joining-la-kings">Corey Perry</a>, Evander Kane, Connor Brown, Viktor Arvidsson, Jeff Skinner, and John Klingberg all off to new teams. In their place, the team has added some new pieces, like Andrew Mangiapane, Curtis Lazar, and newly acquired <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/edmonton-oilers-acquire-isaac-howard-tampa-bay-lightning-sam-oreilly">Isaac Howard</a>, along with making some coaching changes behind the bench.



After falling short in the Stanley Cup Final to the Florida Panthers once again, next season's Oilers will both look and feel different under GM Stan Bowman’s direction. To some, all of the changes may seem a bit drastic, but Bowman recently appeared on the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BQQN3VpEj8&amp;t=315s">“100% Hockey Podcast”</a> and explained that even when his former team, the Chicago Blackhawks, were coming off Stanley Cup wins, he would still make changes the following season to bring in new energy, saying:
<blockquote>“After when we won some of those years in Chicago, I never thought it made sense to bring everybody back. I always like to have a little bit of newness to the group — whether you win or lose, I think it’s important to try to have some guys that weren’t part of that group and didn’t experience the long runs. So for them, next year is... I think you need some of that newness and energy to push your group.” He added, “We have more of a veteran team. I think we’ve tried to get younger with some of the moves we made, because I think that’s important for a team to have some of that energy from players that haven’t been through it, through that grind of a season.”</blockquote>
That said, the Blackhawks won Cups in 2010 and 2013, but they fell just short in 2014, losing to the Los Angeles Kings in Game 7 of the Western Conference Final, with the Kings going on to win the Cup. Still, heading into the 2014–15 season, Bowman had his core Blackhawks returning, like Patrick Kane, <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/nhl-notebook-winnipeg-jets-sign-jonathan-toews">Jonathan Toews</a>, Marian Hossa, Patrick Sharp, Duncan Keith, and Brent Seabrook, but made some minor re-tooling moves that helped get his team over the hump and the result was another Stanley Cup win in 2015.

Much like the 2014–15 Blackhawks at the start of that season, the Oilers enter 2025-26 with a strong returning core with hopes of getting over the hump with a few depth tweaks. Since Bowman pulled off a similar approach to win the Cup in Chicago, let’s revisit the depth additions he made for the 2014–15 campaign that helped make it happen.
<h2>Bowman Signed Goaltender Scott Darling to a One-Year Deal</h2>
On the first day of free agency in 2014, Bowman signed goaltender <a href="https://www.hockeyfights.com/articles/scott-darlings-rise-to-the-nhl">Scott Darling</a> — who had spent most of his career bouncing around the minor leagues — to his first NHL contract, a one-year, $575,000 deal. During the regular season, Darling took over the backup role from Antti Raanta and also impressed enough that the Blackhawks <a href="https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/blackhawks-sign-scott-darling-to-two-year-contract-extension/101968/">signed him to a two-year extension</a> in February 2015, midseason. The netminder finished the regular season with a 9-4-0 record, a 1.94 goals-against average (GAA), and a .936 save percentage (SV%).

https://twitter.com/NHL/status/590115197299384320

Additionally, Darling appeared in five playoff games in 2015 and earned his first postseason win in Game 1 of the first round against the Nashville Predators. The Blackhawks fell behind 3–0 before Darling replaced Corey Crawford, and Chicago rallied for a 4–3 double-overtime victory, which <a href="https://www.espn.com/blog/chicago/blackhawks/post/_/id/4688595/rookie-g-scott-darling-dazzles-hawks-thats-one-of-the-greatest-relief-performances-youre-going-to-see">head coach Joel Quenneville called</a> 'one of the greatest relief performances you're going to see.' All in all, he won three playoff games and posted a 2.28 GAA and .936 SV%, contributing to Chicago’s Cup win that season. As well, Darling became the first Illinois-born player to win the Stanley Cup with the Blackhawks, and his signing was a slam dunk for Bowman.
<h2>Bowman Signed Brad Richards to a One-Year Deal</h2>
The New York Rangers had just bought out the <a href="https://www.espn.com/new-york/nhl/story/_/id/11112553/new-york-rangers-buy-remaining-six-years-brad-richards-contract">remaining seven years of veteran Brad Richards’ contract</a> in June 2014, and Bowman made a low-risk move by signing the centerman to a one-year, $2 million deal on July 1, 2014.

Richards posted 37 points (12 goals, 25 assists) in 76 regular-season games with the Blackhawks and made an impact in the playoffs as well, serving as the team's second-line center, mostly playing between <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/the-patrick-kane-debate">Patrick Kane</a> and Bryan Bickell and tallying 14 points (3 goals, 11 assists) in 23 postseason games. Moreover, he saved some of his best work for Game 6 of the Finals against his former team, the Tampa Bay Lightning.

https://twitter.com/NHLBlackhawks/status/484079703934783488

Richards <a href="https://www.espn.com/blog/chicago/blackhawks/post/_/id/4690094/blackhawks-season-review-brad-richards">assisted on the only two goals scored in Game 6</a> of the Finals, including a spectacular helper with just over five minutes remaining. He froze the opposition with a faked shot before sliding the puck over to Kane, who buried the one-timer to give the Blackhawks the insurance marker and seal the 2–0 Game 6 win to capture the Cup.

Richards’ veteran presence and timely contributions helped push the Blackhawks over the top, making Bowman’s one-year gamble on him a vital piece in winning another championship.
<h2>Bowman Traded for Kimmo Timonen</h2>
At the 2015 NHL Trade Deadline, Bowman made an intriguing move <a href="https://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/flyers-trade-timonen-blackhawks-picks/">by acquiring veteran D-man Kimmo Timonen</a> from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for a second-round draft pick and a conditional fourth-round pick. At 39 years old and recovering from blood clots that nearly ended his career, Timonen hadn’t played a single game that season before the trade, but Bowman saw value in the blueliner’s experience and leadership.

Timonen played in 16 regular-season games down the playoff stretch, averaging just under 12 minutes a night, and he also appeared in 18 postseason games, mainly in a third-pairing role, averaging just under nine minutes a night.

https://twitter.com/ItsCanadasGame/status/610675995310329856

While Timonen didn’t exactly light up the scoresheet, finishing without a point, his steady veteran presence on the blue line and inspirational leadership in the locker room made a difference after returning from nearly a full season off due to a blood clot. After the Blackhawks’ Game 6 win over the Lightning in the Finals, captain Jonathan Toews accepted the Stanley Cup from commissioner Gary Bettman<a href="https://thehockeynews.com/news/news/watch-a-micd-up-jonathan-toews-hand-kimmo-timonen-the-stanley-cup"> and handed it to Timonen</a>, who finally got the chance to hoist Lord Stanley before retiring after the season and going out as a champion.
<h2>Bowman Traded a First-Round Pick for Antoine Vermette, Who Scored Three Game-Winners</h2>
Just days before the 2015 NHL trade deadline, Bowman made a bold move, trading the Blackhawks’ 2015 first-round pick and a prospect to the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for forward <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/looking-back-at-stan-bowmans-most-impactful-in-season-trades-with-the-blackhawks">Antoine Vermette</a>, a veteran two-way center who had recorded 35 points in 63 games with Arizona before the trade.

However, the centerman had a tough time finding his rhythm in the final 19 games of the 2014-15 regular season, tallying only three assists. That said, despite early doubts, he stepped up in the playoffs, scoring three clutch game-winners during the Blackhawks’ 2015 Stanley Cup run.

https://twitter.com/NHLBlackhawks/status/1264269870134226944

His first came in overtime of <a href="https://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/vermette-goes-from-healthy-scratch-to-2ot-hero/">Game 4 against the Anaheim Ducks</a> in the second round, tying the series 2-2. He followed that by scoring late in Game 1 of the Final, giving Chicago a key road win over Tampa Bay. His final game-winner came in Game 5 against the Lightning, and his three clutch tallies turned Bowman’s deal from a potential flop into a huge success, as Vermette became a major factor in the 2015 Cup win.

This time around, heading into the 2025–26 campaign with the Oilers, Bowman already has his veteran core intact, much like he did with his Blackhawks team almost a decade ago. However, while his last Cup win saw him prioritize adding experience, this time he appears to be shifting toward youth, with players like <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/could-matt-savoie-be-the-oilers-version-of-jake-guentzel">Matt Savoie</a> and Isaac Howard looking to crack Edmonton's lineup next season.

For now, it’s a contrast to the approach he took nearly a decade ago, but the fact remains, Bowman found the missing pieces to win the Cup once before. And who knows, there’s still a long way to go before the 2026 playoffs. While he’s focused on getting younger now, that priority could shift by the time the trade deadline rolls around.

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