It was a short offseason for the Edmonton Oilers after a disappointing but nearly miraculous comeback in last season’s Stanley Cup Finals. It was a testament to just how close this team is to becoming the league champions. Within that, one would think the team would mostly return. And the core has. But, there are a handful of moves of note, beginning with a new general manager.
Stan Bowman took the helm of the team in a highly controversial and criticized move. And in his short time, he has made a few small trades, handled the Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg offer sheet saga, and signed Leon Draisaitl to a long-term contract extension.
And before Bowman even joined the team, interim GM and president of hockey operations Jeff Jackson brought in a couple of scoring wingers to improve Edmonton’s scoring depth further and was able to retain two of the three trade deadline acquisitions from last season in Adam Henrique and Troy Stecher.
However, within all of these moves, there is room for concern and holes that were created that have yet to be filled.
Keeping all of this in mind, we took to X to ask Oil Country how they would grade this past offseason’s moves.
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Pretty good, but a few things could have been better
Winning the poll this week with 53.1% of the vote is a B-grade. This says that overall, the moves and decisions made were good. Most actions have improved the team or have been reasonably smart decisions. But, there are a few things that were left untouched as of yet or decisions made that were questionable at best that keep this grade from being higher.
Although the team is arguably better and more experienced and ready for what faces them this upcoming season. And the moves, generally speaking, have contributed to a stronger roster.
But some small things, maybe, like re-signing Corey Perry or letting Vincent Desharnais walk, could be contibutors here.
This seems to be the most reasonable take. Overall, the team is much improved. But there have been holes, like the one on right defence, created and left open and are (on paper, at least) unsolved.
Picture perfect offseason
Finishing a second in the poll this week is an A-grade on this past offseason, with 42% of fans feeling there was not much better that could have been done.
The additions of Viktor Arvidsson and Jeff Skinner contribute a lot to the team’s potential scoring depth, giving a forward roster that is nearly unmatched in offensive potential. The team avoided getting stuck with massive overpayments on Holloway and Broberg while simultaneously trading Cody Ceci and getting a potential replacement in return in Ty Emberson. The players that have stayed have taken discounts to do so, giving room to make future moves (combined with Evander Kane likely being placed on LTIR to start the season opening up even more room). And, the future of this team is in the process of being secured with Draisaitl’s extension.
What more could Oilers fans want, really?
Just a few feeling average vibes
Placing a distant third in this week’s poll is a C-grade with 3.7% of the vote. Maybe for some, the needle did not move enough to make a difference. Vasily Podkolzin, Arvidsson, and Skinner may not be a significant improvement over what Holloway, Warren Foegele, and Kane (if he is out of the lineup) would have brought. The goaltending is the same that caused issues at times last season.
Or maybe, the good and bad equal out. Jackson did a fantastic job in his time as interim GM. But then he makes a highly controversial choice on who to take over as general manager. The cap dump trade of Ceci was overdue, but the hole created leaves a lot of room for concern.
It can be hard to definitively say that this roster is better than it was last season as there is a lot of nuance and extra factors to consider when giving out this grade.
Very few say it was a bad offseason
With just 1.2% of the vote, an F-grade for the offseason brought up the rear. There is a ton of excitement and high expectations on this team heading into 2024–25, and people are riding the good vibes and staying positive for the time being.
But there are some key moments that could contribute to a negative view of the offseason moves.
The Oilers are one of the league’s oldest teams already. The players they brought in are largely older as well. So giving up two of the younger players on the roster for next to nothing is a questionable move. Especially when one of them, in Broberg, seemed to just finally be locking down a spot in the Oilers’ lineup for the upcoming season. Holloway had also played some of the best hockey of his young career late last season and through the playoffs.
Then there was the move to bring in Bowman as GM. I’ve alluded to the controversial nature of this decision, but even beyond that his record as general manager with the Chicago Blackhawks was questionable at best. Yes, he won three Stanley Cups. However, the core of the team was largely set when he arrived. The team did pretty well in the draft early in his tenure, but most of the best picks were traded away. And by the end of his time in Chicago the draft record is atrocious. Additionally, his trade history leaves a lot to be desired.
Needless to say, there can be an argument made for it being a bad offseason.
How would you grade this offseason? Drop a comment down below!
Photo by Curtis Comeau/Icon Sportswire
