Latest news with #Bowman
Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Oilers GM Bowman willing to work on McDavid's timeline for extension
EDMONTON – 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 on offence 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. 'He's really impressive to have someone with his skill set that can play three different positions. When we talked to him yesterday, he said he likes to play centre.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 20, 2025.
Ottawa Citizen
2 hours ago
- Sport
- Ottawa Citizen
'Not trying to take a different route': Oilers GM isn't planning major changes
Connor McDavid isn't waiting for a cavalry of reinforcements to gallop over the horizon and lift the Edmonton Oilers to a championship. Article content Which is good, because general manager Stan Bowman isn't promising one. Article content Aside from a mid-level move here and there, it will be pretty much the same team coming back to try again next year. Article content 'We come back and we do it again,' McDavid said about his expectations for next season. 'It's not like we have a ton of cap room and a long list of highly-touted prospects knocking on the door. It has to come from within the players who are playing. Everyone has to find a new level, myself included. Article content Article content 'Ultimately, it's on every person in that room and that organization to dust themselves off and come back and be better.' Article content Article content That's the company message Bowman reinforced when he met with the media for a 25-minute post-mortem/look ahead Friday. He sees a team that is THIS close to a championship and doesn't want to fix what isn't necessarily broken. Article content 'The way it ended certainly feels like a disappointment. It's hard, in the moment, to reflect on how great a season it was. We fell short, but we did a lot of great things. There are 30 other teams that would trade with where we were.' Article content Bowman saw a team where goaltending, depth, puck movers and star players combined to go on a 12-2 run in the Western Conference playoffs, blowing through the Kings, Golden Knights and Stars like it was easy. Article content 'We left those teams, L.A., Vegas and Dallas, scratching their heads like, 'What happened?'' said Bowman. 'We did to those other teams what Florida did to us.' Article content Article content So you don't blow that up. But standing pat isn't an option, either. Bowman said talks are already underway in advance of the free agent market opening on July 1, with the focus being at forward and in goal. Article content Article content 'The area with the least amount of change will be defence,' he said. 'We have guys under contract and they played very well. Probably won't be big changes there. Article content 'Up front, we need some different players. I wouldn't expect wholesale charges, we're not going to have nine or 10 new players, but I do think we're going to have some changes. More likely, the forwards and the goalies are the ones we're going to evaluate the most deeply.' Article content The Oilers also need to get younger and faster, but that's easier said than done when you're in the middle of a Win Now window. This isn't the time to be breaking in rookies, but they also can't ignore the future. Article content 'We're going to do our best to give opportunities to players,' said Bowman. 'But it's not like we're going to put a bunch of inexperienced guys in the lineup. Our objective is to win next year. We're not trying to take a different route, we want to be playing in the final next year.'
Vancouver Sun
2 hours ago
- Sport
- Vancouver Sun
'Not trying to take a different route': Oilers GM isn't planning major changes
Connor McDavid isn't waiting for a cavalry of reinforcements to gallop over the horizon and lift the Edmonton Oilers to a championship. Which is good, because general manager Stan Bowman isn't promising one. Aside from a mid-level move here and there, it will be pretty much the same team coming back to try again next year. 'We come back and we do it again,' McDavid said about his expectations for next season. 'It's not like we have a ton of cap room and a long list of highly-touted prospects knocking on the door. It has to come from within the players who are playing. Everyone has to find a new level, myself included. 'Ultimately, it's on every person in that room and that organization to dust themselves off and come back and be better.' Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. That's the company message Bowman reinforced when he met with the media for a 25-minute post-mortem/look ahead Friday. He sees a team that is THIS close to a championship and doesn't want to fix what isn't necessarily broken. 'The way it ended certainly feels like a disappointment. It's hard, in the moment, to reflect on how great a season it was. We fell short, but we did a lot of great things. There are 30 other teams that would trade with where we were.' Bowman saw a team where goaltending, depth, puck movers and star players combined to go on a 12-2 run in the Western Conference playoffs, blowing through the Kings, Golden Knights and Stars like it was easy. 'We left those teams, L.A., Vegas and Dallas, scratching their heads like, 'What happened?'' said Bowman. 'We did to those other teams what Florida did to us.' So you don't blow that up. But standing pat isn't an option, either. Bowman said talks are already underway in advance of the free agent market opening on July 1, with the focus being at forward and in goal. 'The area with the least amount of change will be defence,' he said. 'We have guys under contract and they played very well. Probably won't be big changes there. 'Up front, we need some different players. I wouldn't expect wholesale charges, we're not going to have nine or 10 new players, but I do think we're going to have some changes. More likely, the forwards and the goalies are the ones we're going to evaluate the most deeply.' The Oilers also need to get younger and faster, but that's easier said than done when you're in the middle of a Win Now window. This isn't the time to be breaking in rookies, but they also can't ignore the future. 'We're going to do our best to give opportunities to players,' said Bowman. 'But it's not like we're going to put a bunch of inexperienced guys in the lineup. Our objective is to win next year. We're not trying to take a different route, we want to be playing in the final next year.' That's the delicate balance. McDavid said he wants to be part of a team that is in contention over and over again . When you look four years down the road for Edmonton, you have to wonder. The oldest team in the NHL isn't getting any younger. Mattias Ekholm is 35, Zach Hyman is 33, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is 32, Darnell Nurse is 30, Draisaitl and McDavid are 29 and 28. And the prospect cupboard is fairly thin. In the nine drafts since they took Connor McDavid in 2015, six of Edmonton's first-round picks are gone (Jesse Puljujarvi, Kailer Yamamoto, Philip Broberg, Dylan Holloway, Xavier Bourgault and Reid Schaefer), and one was traded away. Edmonton doesn't have a first-rounder this year (just a third, sixth and seventh) and doesn't currently have a first-rounder next year. Not having a first-rounder for eight of 11 years is a major gap in the pipeline. They have to be careful they don't find themselves in a barren wasteland when the core of the team is in its mid-30s and beyond, because if McDavid signs a four-year deal, that's when he'll be re-examining his future. Spending assets to stay in Win Now mode while protecting the future isn't going to be easy. 'It's a challenge, but what we've tried to do is invest in our player development group and the recruitment of free agent players,' said Bowman. 'That's going to be a big focus for us moving forward. 'It's true we haven't had a lot of first and second round draft picks, but that's not the only way you can find players.' While the draft is running dry, the Oilers did sign Boston University standout Quinn Hutson and European centres Josh Samanski and David Tomasek. They also have Buffalo's first-round pick (9th overall in 2022), Matt Savoie and Sam O'Reilly, who they got 32nd overall last year. It remains to be seen how those players pan out, but it's a start. 'The one thing that's good for us is we're an attractive location for free agents to come,' said Bowman. 'They look at a chance to play on a really good team with great players as opportunity for them.' The top priority, though, above and beyond anything else, is winning a Stanley Cup next year. 'We have to be aggressive, we're trying to win now, we're not necessarily trying to build a team to be good in five years,' said Bowman. 'We certainly want to maintain, we don't want to drop off, but that's going to fall on our player development and our recruitment of free agents.' E-mail: rtychkowski@ Bookmark our website and support our journalism: Don't miss the news you need to know — add and to your bookmarks and sign up for our newsletters here. You can also support our journalism by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribers gain unlimited access to The Edmonton Journal, Edmonton Sun, National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites. 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Edmonton Journal
2 hours ago
- Sport
- Edmonton Journal
'Not trying to take a different route': Oilers GM isn't planning major changes
Article content Connor McDavid isn't waiting for a cavalry of reinforcements to gallop over the horizon and lift the Edmonton Oilers to a championship. Which is good, because general manager Stan Bowman isn't promising one. Article content Aside from a mid-level move here and there, it will be pretty much the same team coming back to try again next year. 'We come back and we do it again,' McDavid said about his expectations for next season. 'It's not like we have a ton of cap room and a long list of highly-touted prospects knocking on the door. It has to come from within the players who are playing. Everyone has to find a new level, myself included. Article content 'Ultimately, it's on every person in that room and that organization to dust themselves off and come back and be better.' That's the company message Bowman reinforced when he met with the media for a 25-minute post-mortem/look ahead Friday. He sees a team that is THIS close to a championship and doesn't want to fix what isn't necessarily broken. 'The way it ended certainly feels like a disappointment. It's hard, in the moment, to reflect on how great a season it was. We fell short, but we did a lot of great things. There are 30 other teams that would trade with where we were.' Bowman saw a team where goaltending, depth, puck movers and star players combined to go on a 12-2 run in the Western Conference playoffs, blowing through the Kings, Golden Knights and Stars like it was easy. 'We left those teams, L.A., Vegas and Dallas, scratching their heads like, 'What happened?'' said Bowman. 'We did to those other teams what Florida did to us.' Article content So you don't blow that up. But standing pat isn't an option, either. Bowman said talks are already underway in advance of the free agent market opening on July 1, with the focus being at forward and in goal. 'The area with the least amount of change will be defence,' he said. 'We have guys under contract and they played very well. Probably won't be big changes there. 'Up front, we need some different players. I wouldn't expect wholesale charges, we're not going to have nine or 10 new players, but I do think we're going to have some changes. More likely, the forwards and the goalies are the ones we're going to evaluate the most deeply.' The Oilers also need to get younger and faster, but that's easier said than done when you're in the middle of a Win Now window. This isn't the time to be breaking in rookies, but they also can't ignore the future. 'We're going to do our best to give opportunities to players,' said Bowman. 'But it's not like we're going to put a bunch of inexperienced guys in the lineup. Our objective is to win next year. We're not trying to take a different route, we want to be playing in the final next year.' Article content That's the delicate balance. McDavid said he wants to be part of a team that is in contention over and over again. When you look four years down the road for Edmonton, you have to wonder. The oldest team in the NHL isn't getting any younger. Mattias Ekholm is 35, Zach Hyman is 33, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is 32, Darnell Nurse is 30, Draisaitl and McDavid are 29 and 28. And the prospect cupboard is fairly thin. In the nine drafts since they took Connor McDavid in 2015, six of Edmonton's first-round picks are gone (Jesse Puljujarvi, Kailer Yamamoto, Philip Broberg, Dylan Holloway, Xavier Bourgault and Reid Schaefer), and one was traded away. Edmonton doesn't have a first-rounder this year (just a third, sixth and seventh) and doesn't currently have a first-rounder next year. Not having a first-rounder for eight of 11 years is a major gap in the pipeline. They have to be careful they don't find themselves in a barren wasteland when the core of the team is in its mid-30s and beyond, because if McDavid signs a four-year deal, that's when he'll be re-examining his future. Article content Spending assets to stay in Win Now mode while protecting the future isn't going to be easy. 'It's a challenge, but what we've tried to do is invest in our player development group and the recruitment of free agent players,' said Bowman. 'That's going to be a big focus for us moving forward. 'It's true we haven't had a lot of first and second round draft picks, but that's not the only way you can find players.' While the draft is running dry, the Oilers did sign Boston University standout Quinn Hutson and European centres Josh Samanski and David Tomasek. They also have Buffalo's first-round pick (9th overall in 2022), Matt Savoie and Sam O'Reilly, who they got 32nd overall last year. It remains to be seen how those players pan out, but it's a start. 'The one thing that's good for us is we're an attractive location for free agents to come,' said Bowman. 'They look at a chance to play on a really good team with great players as opportunity for them.' Article content Latest National Stories
Calgary Herald
2 hours ago
- Sport
- Calgary Herald
'Not trying to take a different route': Oilers GM isn't planning major changes
Connor McDavid isn't waiting for a cavalry of reinforcements to gallop over the horizon and lift the Edmonton Oilers to a championship. Article content Which is good, because general manager Stan Bowman isn't promising one. Article content Aside from a mid-level move here and there, it will be pretty much the same team coming back to try again next year. Article content 'We come back and we do it again,' McDavid said about his expectations for next season. 'It's not like we have a ton of cap room and a long list of highly-touted prospects knocking on the door. It has to come from within the players who are playing. Everyone has to find a new level, myself included. Article content Article content 'Ultimately, it's on every person in that room and that organization to dust themselves off and come back and be better.' Article content Article content That's the company message Bowman reinforced when he met with the media for a 25-minute post-mortem/look ahead Friday. He sees a team that is THIS close to a championship and doesn't want to fix what isn't necessarily broken. Article content 'The way it ended certainly feels like a disappointment. It's hard, in the moment, to reflect on how great a season it was. We fell short, but we did a lot of great things. There are 30 other teams that would trade with where we were.' Article content Bowman saw a team where goaltending, depth, puck movers and star players combined to go on a 12-2 run in the Western Conference playoffs, blowing through the Kings, Golden Knights and Stars like it was easy. Article content 'We left those teams, L.A., Vegas and Dallas, scratching their heads like, 'What happened?'' said Bowman. 'We did to those other teams what Florida did to us.' Article content Article content So you don't blow that up. But standing pat isn't an option, either. Bowman said talks are already underway in advance of the free agent market opening on July 1, with the focus being at forward and in goal. Article content Article content 'The area with the least amount of change will be defence,' he said. 'We have guys under contract and they played very well. Probably won't be big changes there. Article content 'Up front, we need some different players. I wouldn't expect wholesale charges, we're not going to have nine or 10 new players, but I do think we're going to have some changes. More likely, the forwards and the goalies are the ones we're going to evaluate the most deeply.' Article content The Oilers also need to get younger and faster, but that's easier said than done when you're in the middle of a Win Now window. This isn't the time to be breaking in rookies, but they also can't ignore the future. Article content 'We're going to do our best to give opportunities to players,' said Bowman. 'But it's not like we're going to put a bunch of inexperienced guys in the lineup. Our objective is to win next year. We're not trying to take a different route, we want to be playing in the final next year.'
