Edmonton Oilers working to sign two veteran free agent wingers. Good or bad idea?

This in Editor-in-Chief David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, news that the Oilers are pursuing new deals with two veteran wingers, Connor Brown and Corey Perry, who are soon to be Unrestricted Free Agents: 'Oilers still have some fine-tuning to do on Frederic's new deal before it gets done. As that continues, the team's also trying to lock in Perry and Brown. Brown talks expected to pick up in the coming days. Told he played with a fractured toe in the Stanley Cup Final.'

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Edmonton Journal

27 minutes ago

• Edmonton Journal

The bottom line on why the Edmonton Oilers lost to the Florida Panthers: 9 Things

Article content The business of the National Hockey League allows very little time for emotions to settle before we charge head-long into new business. As such, this column will spend equal time gazing back on the end of the Edmonton Oilers ' season with some regrets, as well as glimpsing hopefully into the future. Article content 9 Things 9. I was glad to see Kris Knoblauch participate in the handshake line after Game Six. I have all kinds of good things to say about Paul Maurice as an NHL coach. But he was way off base in his approach to this tradition. It is all about respect and class, something the world could use more of. Article content 8. All the Oilers key assistant coaches will need new contracts to stay on. While Stan Bowman is somewhat limited in how much he can (or perhaps even should) change the roster, the coaching staff is a place where a new infusion of energy and ideas may be helpful. I am not here to call out any one guy. But as Lao Tzu said: 'If you do not change direction, you night end up where you are heading'. 7. I do not miss the days when all we did in Oilers land was look forward to the NHL draft. For a long span of dark days it was about the only hopeful thing to look forward to. On the face of it, this draft promises to be uneventful for the Oilers. They only have a third-round pick (#83), a sixth-round pick (#191) and finally a seventh (#223). Of course, all sorts of other things could happen on that day on the trading front. We shall see… 6. I listened intently to Connor McDavid 's season-end media avail. Thoughts: I felt he was honest and straightforward. Who among us would not ensure our family comes before anything else? But I also heard his words through a filter that recognizes the loss will still have been fresh and painful for him. In the end, I heard a guy who is absolutely driven by the will to win. Who else would you choose to be the leader of your team than that? Article content 5. I have not disagreed with the addition of veteran depth to this Edmonton Oilers team over the past two years. I absolutely see the value in it. But in any successful organization a mix of experiences is vital and the absence of it can leave a team stagnant. And so as Stan Bowman goes about his business this summer, youth is a box he will need to check. But that is much tougher to achieve when you are in a 'win-dow', if you will. Picks and prospects typically do not play in June. 4. Sunday is our departed Cult of Hockey colleague Bruce McCurdy's celebration of life. Bruce's absence during the Stanley Cup Playoffs was acutely felt around The Cult. Perhaps the nicest thing I can say about Bruce's fine work here at the CoH is that it has influenced how we do things going forward. Bruce's attention to facts and details and his unwavering sense of fairness set a great example that all journalists should aspire to. And, of course, he was just a great guy that is missed every day by family and friends alike. Article content 3. Not a whole bunch of time was spent on Leon Draisaitl's result in the 2024-25 Hart Trophy balloting other than the fact that he lost to Connor Hellebuyck. And I am not here to denigrate the accomplishment of the Jets' netminder. I find that sort of thing distasteful. The vote itself was fairly close (1,346 to 1,209, first-place ballots 81-53). But the much bigger gap was first-place ballots between second and third (Nathan MacKinnon, who actually finished fourth in total votes), 53-to-27. That Draisaitl's fifty-two goals and 106 points was done in just 71 games is additionally impressive. What a season. 2. I am late to this Spring's radio ratings review, as the quarterly release fell inside a busy playoff stretch. Edmonton radio listening is measured by NUMERIS and digital 'people meters'. This most recent (and most influential of the calendar year in terms of revenue) survey was R2/25. 2+ AD FC CUME measures total average daily cumulative audience. Oilers Now with Bob Stauffer on 880 CHED weekdays 4-6pm experienced substantial growth during the Oilers playoff run, attracting 40,184, up from 32,646 in the previous survey. That is an impressive increase of almost 19%. Inside Sports with Brenden Escott (M-F 6-8pm) drew 26,004. Sports 1440 is a welcome voice in Edmonton's sporting scene. However, they are not measured by NUMERIS. Article content is no shortage of voices who already have and will continue to assess how the Oilers came up just short this past season. Mine is hardly the definitive one. But allow me to weight in with my own two cents. At the Cult of Hockey, we chart every single shift with the aid of video to expose what factors turn games and when. We really take care to drill down into the reasons why this team wins or loses on any given night. So, I may have gained some insight there. And I have also spent a lifetime playing and covering hockey at a reasonable level, so my assessments may bring a certain perspective to the conversation. And hey…these may be no better or worse than yours, so if you will kindly indulge me: This team has been to back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals. Losing in those situations is painful. But it also cements the fact that this team is no 'one fateful season', flash-in-the-pan phenomena. The repeat appearance confirms that they are the second-best team in the NHL. While certainly not the end goal, thirty other teams would trade places in a heartbeat. And until game Five, a majority of analysist were proclaiming it one of the best finals of the modern era. It really only came unraveled in the final two games. Article content It is easy to pin the loss on goaltending. The numbers tell a certain story. Florida had the better tending in this series. But Edmonton had the better goalies in the three previous series. And Edmonton only scored three times in Games Five and Six. So, goaltending was a factor, sure. But THE factor? Hmmm. I hate blaming injuries. Yes, they are factors, too. And they may affect one team more than the other. But almost all injuries are the result of bad luck, which can affect any team at any time. And it is not like Panthers players were not nicked up as well. Were Florida's best players better than Edmonton's? In the last two games. But the previous four? Was Florida's roster better built to win? Well yes, I believe that it obvious by the final results. But this was not even a full year on the job for Stan Bowman. A small sample by any NHL General manager's standards. So I am reluctant to pin it all on him, either. Article content Latest National Stories

Edmonton Journal

10 hours ago

• Edmonton Journal

Edmonton Oilers working to sign two veteran free agent wingers. Good or bad idea?

This in Editor-in-Chief David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, news that the Oilers are pursuing new deals with two veteran wingers, Connor Brown and Corey Perry, who are soon to be Unrestricted Free Agents: 'Oilers still have some fine-tuning to do on Frederic's new deal before it gets done. As that continues, the team's also trying to lock in Perry and Brown. Brown talks expected to pick up in the coming days. Told he played with a fractured toe in the Stanley Cup Final.'

CBC

16 hours ago

• CBC

Edmonton Oilers GM ready to work on McDavid's timeline to sign contract extension

Social Sharing Edmonton Oilers general manager Stan Bowman is ready to work on Connor McDavid's timeline for a contract extension. "Connor is the most important player in the league," Bowman said Friday. "He's our captain, he's our leader. He's certainly our top priority and he's earned the right for us to be respectful of his timing. "He's driving that process." McDavid is heading into the final year of his contract and becomes eligible to sign an extension on July 1. The Oilers captain, however, said Thursday after the Oilers' exit meetings that he's in no rush to make a decision about his future. McDavid also explained that winning is his top priority, which doesn't surprise Bowman. "He wants to win," Bowman said. "He just wants to win the cup, that's all he cares about. He's not driven by statistics or points or records or money." Bowman and head coach Kris Knoblauch met reporters for an end-of-season news conference three days after Edmonton's loss to the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup final. The GM said the Oilers will look to make changes during the off-season, particularly among its group of forwards and in goal. "We're not going to bring the same guys back," he said. "The area with the least amount of change is going to be our defence. Up front, we need some different players. I wouldn't expect wholesale changes; we're not going to have nine or 10 new players. "Forwards and the goalies are the ones we're going to evaluate the most deeply." Beyond McDavid, the Oilers' most pressing matter is signing star defenceman Evan Bouchard, who's set to become a restricted free agent July 1. Bouchard said Thursday he wants to stay in Edmonton. So did forwards Corey Perry and Trent Frederic. The Oilers, according to multiple reports, have a deal in place for Frederic. Bowman wouldn't confirm the contract, but he called Frederic "a pretty unique player in the league." "There's not a lot of guys that have that combination of his age, his experience, his competitiveness, size, physicality," Bowman said of the player he acquired from the Boston Bruins before the NHL trade deadline. "And I think when you add it all up, he could bring a lot to the team." The 27-year-old Frederic had one goal and three assists during the playoffs, albeit with 85 hits. Frederic produced 40 points during the 2023-24 season with the Bruins. Bowman previously said he feels Frederic could be a top-six winger or a third-line centre. "Incredibly competitive, great teammate, great guy," said Bowman. "He brings an element that I think you need, which is very competitive, fearless. Nobody's going to push us around.