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The Edmonton Oilers look on from the bench in the final minutes of Game 6 of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final against the Florida Panthers at Amerant Bank Arena. Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Oilers GM Stan Bowman Has His Work Cut Out for Him

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers | By Dale Bochon | Last updated Jun 18, 2025 11:05 AM ET

The wounds of losing a second straight Stanley Cup Final are still fresh for the Edmonton Oilers. They were the second-best team for most of the series, and maybe had they scored in overtime in Game 2 instead of Brad Marchand, they might’ve had a better chance of dethroning the Florida Panthers. However, it just wasn’t meant to be. Again. And the window for winning the Stanley Cup is closing fast, especially in the Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl era of Oilers hockey. Both players deserved a better fate, but in the end, the Oilers got beaten by a more well-rounded team that doesn’t rely so heavily on its superstars.

Since the 2025 Stanley Cup Final is now in the history books, it’s time to look ahead at what could happen to this Oilers team with general manager Stan Bowman at the helm.

Bowman Needs to Sign Key Pieces of the Oilers’ Future

There are two main signings that Bowman needs to worry about in the 2025-26 season. First, he has to sign restricted free agent (RFA) defenceman Evan Bouchard to a new contract before Bouchard gets an offer sheet. And Bowman needs to worry about signing pending unrestricted free agent (UFA) McDavid as his current contract expires at the end of the 2025-26 season.

Both players are due for big pay increases, but unfortunately, the Oilers are tight to the cap. Signing both players will mean sacrificing other players, and right now, it’s hard to say who is going to stay and who will be gone by the time the Oilers hit the ice for the 2025-26 season in October.

Bowman Needs to Trade Goaltender Stuart Skinner

Stuart Skinner is a pretty good goalie who needs a fresh start. After hearing about his wife say their family was receiving death threats during the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs, it’s time for Skinner and his family to go to a market where fans won’t do this to him. Skinner has two things going for him: he’s young, and his contract isn’t expensive. He could still very well have a solid career, but for his sake and the Oilers, it’s time for him to move on. Skinner was given the starter’s net almost by default after former Oilers’ starter Jack Campbell lost his game. Campbell was signed to a five-year, $25 million contract by former Oilers GM Ken Holland back in 2022, and it’s a contract that has haunted the team ever since. Bringing in a new starting goalie this offseason won’t be easy for Bowman. He might have to ship a couple more contracts out, and a few more players, such as Evander Kane, Viktor Arvidsson, and Adam Henrique, might have seen their final days as Oilers after the loss to Florida.

Oilers Only Have a Small Window Left to Win

There are currently a large group of key players on the back end who have one year left on their contracts, including Mattias Ekholm, Brett Kulak, Jake Walman, and Troy Stecher. Only Darnell Nurse and Ty Emberson are signed beyond the 2025-26 season. Meanwhile, out of the forward group, only Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hyman are signed for more than one season. The remainder of the forward group will either be UFAs or RFAs, leaving Bowman with some tough decisions to make. The way the current roster is constructed, there is essentially a one-year window for this team to win, possibly two years at most. The cupboards are essentially bare when it comes to prospects. There are some future NHLers down on the farm playing for the Bakersfield Condors of the American Hockey League–Matthew Savoie might have a solid chance of making the team this fall, and possibly Noah Philp.

There’s also word that Bowman has been working hard to sign Russian prospect Maxim Beryozkin. And, it’ll be interesting to see what the Oilers do with Sam O’Reilly of the London Knights, who had a good camp last fall and impressed during the Knights’ run to the Memorial Cup in 2025. Bowman came through with some solid signings in the 2024-25 season. Oilers fans will be watching closely to see what he can do with a full year under his belt as Oilers GM.

One thing is clear: the Oilers are close, but they’re not quite good enough to win it all. There are a lot of tough decisions to make this offseason, and Bowman is going to be judged by Oilers fans on how well he performs.