The Edmonton Oilers are heading into the season with something they haven’t had much of lately: room to breathe.
GM Stan Bowman said Friday on OilersNOW 880 that the club is in an “ideal spot” financially, with cap space available and no intention of using that money this summer. Instead, the plan is to hold onto flexibility and wait for the right in-season chance to make a move.
Bowman didn’t rule out the kind of splash that would grab attention around the league, but he made it clear that Edmonton isn’t simply looking to spend for the sake of spending. Names such as Patrik Laine and Vladimir Taransenko were mentioned as possibilities, though that doesn’t sound like the direction the Oilers are headed right now. The priority is keeping options open and striking when the market gives them the right opening.
He also left little doubt that a change is coming before the playoffs arrive. The group that opens the season won’t be the same group the Oilers expect to have come spring.
Bowman pointed to the last couple of seasons as a tough balancing act. With players due for raises and the team operating right against the cap ceiling, Edmonton had almost no room to maneuver.
“That’s how we operated in the first two years I was here-we had virtually no room at all,” he said. “We were constantly in LTI, and unless a move created a clear cap opportunity, it just wasn’t realistic for us to pursue anything.”
That lack of flexibility shut the door on plenty of possibilities. Bowman said general managers often make players available during the season without much public noise, but Edmonton simply couldn’t jump into those conversations. If a team was trying to move a player making $2.5 million and the Oilers liked the player, the cap math still had to work - and too often it didn’t.
This season, the goal is to avoid that trap.
The Oilers want enough space to avoid scrambling every time a deal comes up, which gives them a better chance to make a calculated move instead of forcing one. Bowman said the plan is still to use the cap space, not just let it sit untouched, with additions expected through trade and potentially at the deadline as the playoff picture comes into focus.
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