Stan Bowman’s summer in Edmonton was busy enough to reshape the conversation around the Oilers, but the move that may matter most isn’t the flashiest one. It’s the way he handled the roster as a whole.
The Oilers added a new head coach, made a major trade, strengthened the blue line, addressed goaltending depth, and kept several key players in the fold without blowing up the cap. That’s a lot of moving parts, and not all of them will hit. Still, the bigger picture looks solid, and the most important work may have been the internal business Bowman took care of before looking elsewhere.
The head coaching hire is the swingiest decision of the bunch. Edmonton chose Mike Babcock over names like Craig Berube, John Tortorella, Bruce Cassidy and others, betting on a stern, demanding voice to push a group that was described as lethargic at times last season.
The idea is simple: if the Oilers are going to get where they want to go, they can’t afford to be lackadasical in 2026-27. Babcock is expected to make sure that doesn’t happen.
That move comes with obvious risk, but the upside is clear too. If it works, Edmonton could find another gear it didn’t have last season. Grade: B-
The Darnell Nurse trade is a little less exciting on the surface, but it may age better than some think. He was overpaid, sure, but that contract no longer looks like the burden it once did. Edmonton did the hard part when it committed to him at $9.25 million, and now it’s moving on at a time when that number isn’t quite the anchor it used to be.
San Jose is getting a motivated Nurse, one who can handle heavy minutes and, with the right chances, produce more offense than he did in Edmonton.
The blue line also got a boost with the signing of Ryan Shea. The Oilers gave him a five-year, $20 million deal after a breakout season with Pittsburgh, and they’re clearly hoping it isn’t a one-year spike.
If Shea keeps trending up, this could look like a bargain. He’s the kind of player who doesn’t draw a lot of attention when he’s doing his job well, and that usually means things are going right.
Grade: B+
Bowman also cleaned up a chunk of the roster work by keeping the right pieces and letting the wrong ones walk. Connor Murphy, Jason Dickinson, Kasperi Kapanen, and Colton Dach all came back on deals that didn’t strain the budget, and each fills a role the Oilers needed.
Murphy matters on the back end. Dickinson gives Edmonton the third-line center it needed.
Dach brings grit and intangibles. Kapanen adds speed, penalty-killing ability, and finish.
Just as important, Edmonton avoided overcommitting to players with questions attached. Jack Roslovic was productive on a cheap deal, but there were enough concerns about his compete level in big games to make a longer, richer contract a bad bet.
Connor Ingram helped, but the time had come to change things in goal. Bowman also left cap space available, and that could become a major asset after Christmas and heading toward the trade deadline.
Grade: A-
Goaltending got another layer of attention with the addition of Frederik Andersen and the trade for Devon Levi. With Tristan Jarry still a big question mark entering the season, Edmonton needed options, and it got them.
Andersen brings experience and should be solid in fewer games. Levi comes with a higher ceiling, and the Oilers are willing to see how far that can go.
Together, they give Edmonton flexibility and a chance to avoid panic if the early returns aren’t perfect. Grade: B+
So if you’re trying to pick the Oilers’ best offseason move, the answer might be that it wasn’t one isolated swing at all. The strongest work was Bowman’s ability to handle his own roster first, keep useful players at reasonable prices, and preserve room for another addition later. If that final piece arrives, it could end up being the move that changes everything.
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The pushback has centered on Babcocks past, especially his brief and controversial run with the Columbus Blue Jackets, and it has spilled into a broader criticism of McDavid for lending support to the hire. For a player whose every move is already scrutinized in Edmonton, the optics matter as much as the hockey, and this one has opened a new layer of debate around how much influence the teams top voices should have when the organization is trying to steady itself after a disappointing spring. [Read more 🡒]