Edmonton Oilers general manager Stan Bowman is about to embark on a crucial summer for his hockey club and probably his career. He has been at the helm for the Oilers for just two seasons but he has already put his fingerprints all over the hockey club.
There have been some good and bad moves made during Bowman's tenure, with a number of them having not worked out so far. This is especially true when it comes to the Oilers' unrestricted free agents signing contract extensions.
There area number of them who have signed contracts that already are at risk of aging poorly and at the very least do not look great so far. This has in some cases, caused the Oilers to have to look at restructuring their salary cap, something they will have to do if they want to improve the club this summer.
Bowman's track record is not great
This is a genuine fear given the club's recent issues with signing support players to massively overpaid extensions. Trent Frederic is a famous example, signing an eight-year deal worth $3.85 million per season, one that just a season in looks bad. Defenceman Jake Walman also signed a big seven-year extension worth $7 million per season that kicks in this season. This is one that has yet to start but is showing some concerning signs of an overpayment.
Even dating back to his time as GM with the Chicago Blackhawks, Bowman had a bad habit of giving UFAs big money and being 'too loyal'. It is in large part, a reason for the demise of the Blackhawks' dynasty. Giving big money to a player like Bryan Bickell, who unfortunately suffered injuries that ended his career prematurely, cost him a young prospect by the name of Teuvo Teravainen.
This is not something the Oilers can afford to do at this point.
Oilers need to be cautious of their UFAs
This brings us to one way the Oilers can better set themselves up for success going forward, allowing some players to walk away. One example is the Oilers' aging veteran, Adam Henrique who has seen a major decline in his play in recent seasons. Signing him for much more than league minimum ($850,000) per year would be a very concerning move.
There are others who could easily become bad contracts; Trade deadline acquisition Jason Dickinson whose reported price tag could be $5 million per season. For a third line shutdown centre, who has paced less than 30 points the past two seasons, this would be an incredibly steep price to pay. It is also a player who may have an internal replacement, Josh Samanski who has shown some shutdown centre upside, may be able to fill that role for less than $1 million.
Jack Roslovic is another player that fits the profile of a player many teams find themselves overpaying. He is a useful top-nine forward who can play both centre and wing and spent this past season on a very team-friendly contract where he drastically outperformed his $1.5 million annual salary. Although his deal was a success story, his play levelled out as the season wore on and he finished with just 36 points (21 goals, 15 assists) in 69 games. A good value deal but one that the Oilers should not feel obliged to pay him back for with a high salary extension.
If the Oilers want to get ahead, they will need to try and find ways to get these small gains, one of which is simply by promoting their youth. Putting players like the previously mentioned Samanski into trusted but slightly sheltered roles, would be a great way to get good value out of cheap contracts and not overpaying veterans, as Bowman has a history of doing.
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