The Edmonton Oilers face a defining NHL offseason after a first-round exit, and general manager Stan Bowman made one point clear. The focus remains on winning now with Connor McDavid.
Edmonton’s 5-2 loss to the Anaheim Ducks in Game 6 ended a 4-2 series defeat and triggered fresh questions about direction. McDavid’s future quickly became central, but Bowman pushed that discussion back onto performance.
“We’re trying to win,” Bowman said. “Those questions are more for Connor as far as what his plans are and his thoughts are. We’re on the same page as Connor. We want to win too.”
He expanded on that approach. “All the moves that we make are geared towards trying to win the Cup next year. We’re not building for four years from now.”
MORE: ‘Everyone was so big’: Leon Draisaitl reflects on 2024 Oilers as the most complete team in Edmonton
Connor McDavid’s window shapes every decision
McDavid remains under contract through 2028 after signing a two-year extension in 2025, but the timeline adds urgency. Bowman acknowledged that alignment between player and organization is critical.
“I think it lines up very much in the same parallel path where Connor wants to win and we want to win,” Bowman said. “That’s the way we look at it. We can only do that by building this team up the best we can, whether it’s trades or signings or development of players from within. It’s all with the hope that it’s going to take us to a better result than we have now.”
So, this is a clear “win-now” mandate. Teams with elite talent in their prime rarely pivot to long-term builds. Edmonton’s strategy reflects that reality, but execution remains the issue.
Bowman addressed Connor McDavid’s ‘average team’ comments and Oilers’ inconsistency
Connor McDavid scored 138 points in the regular season and played all 82 games. He was the prime reason the Oilers made the playoffs, but still, all he got was a first-round exit. So, he was furious in his assessment of his team are the loss, calling it ‘average team with high expectations.
Bowman also addressed McDavid’s blunt assessment of the team as an ‘average team.’ He did not dispute it.
“Well, I think just looking at the way the team played, I think that we had—it was one of those years where we were average for a lot of the year. I think the way I took that comment was in previous years we’ve had stretches where we’ve been able to really get our game going and dominate and win five, six, eight, ten in a row, and also have some losing streaks… It was really one of those things where we kind of stayed right around that midpoint all season long.
“So from that perspective, it was a strange year. It wasn’t something that we were used to, and it wasn’t what we wanted. We wanted to try to find our game. And I think when you listen to what some of the players said, I agree that we weren’t able to ever get our momentum during the season to establish that swagger that you need in order to be able to overcome adversity that you’re going to face.”
That lack of continuity showed in the results. Edmonton failed to build momentum and struggled to respond when Anaheim found form late in the series.
He pointed to inconsistency and injuries as key factors.
“I think that was an accurate portrayal of our year, and it kind of goes back to the start of the season,” Bowman said. “We never were able to really get our group together. If you remember back, Hyman missed the beginning of the year, and then Kapanen got hurt, … and then when they came back, Nugent-Hopkins got hurt, Rossi got hurt.
“Every time someone was coming back, someone else was getting hurt. That’s probably common to a lot of teams, I would say, where we’re not unusual, but we only had a couple games all year when we actually had our full group.
MORE: Connor McDavid says Oilers were ‘too hurt too soon’ after NHL playoff exit
“And then we made the additions at the deadline, were looking like things were starting to trend in the positive direction. Then Leon gets hurt, and then other players get hurt. So it was just a year that was a lot of stops and starts, and that all adds up to feeling like it was just an average year. And I think for those reasons, I understand what he was trying to say. I think I do. And we felt the same way as well.”
From a structural view, the Oilers remain top-heavy. Their stars produce, but depth and defensive reliability lag behind contenders. Goaltending has also been unreliable with the current tandem of Connor Ingram and Tristan Jarry. Bowman’s comments confirm the organization understands the gap.
Oilers are ‘pushing hard’ to make a competitive team around Connor McDavid
Bowman talked about how the Oilers are pushing hard to capitalise on McDavid’s presence to win the Stanley Cup.
“Well, we’re trying to win,” Bowman said. “I know how bad Connor wants to win. I certainly feel the same way. That’s why we all do this. So we’re pushing hard. Not every year does it work. The decisions you make—it’s not like we’re building for five years from now. We’re trying to ramp this thing up and look to 2030 as a year when we’re going to be a good team. We’re pushing every year.
“So I think we’re not going to change that. We’re going to continue to do what we can. The now is the time when we want our team to win. We’re not looking down the road.”
The message is direct. Edmonton is not waiting. The pressure is immediate, and every move now ties back to one goal – maximizing McDavid’s window before the question shifts from speculation to decision.
