Reaction: The Oilers officially hire Stan Bowman as GM

Wednesday marks one of the most puzzling days in Oilers history of which there have been many. It is certainly the most perplexing in my time as a fan and a media member covering them.

As I am sure you've heard by now, CEO Jeff Jackson and owner Daryl Katz made the controversial decision to hire the once disgraced general manager, now reinstated by the NHL, Stan Bowman to fill their vacant GM chair as well as Vice President of Hockey Operations duties.

The reception from both fans of the team, and those who hate the team were in lockstep. A guilty verdict by unanimous decision.

The hire makes little sense to anyone except for those who made it. And in Wednesday's press conference, Jackson's reasoning was largely unsatisfactory. He used words like "elite" and "progressive" when referring to the direction he views the organization going in "on and off the ice" and how this hire indicates going in those directions. From solely a hockey perspective, at least based on his track record, Bowman checks neither of these boxes.

From a social, public relational and cultural stand point, Bowman definitely checks none of those boxes.

The Oilers front office has undone all progress and positivity surrounding the team this summer with this hire. Let's take a look first at four of Bowman's last transactions made as a GM to examine only his hockey acumen for a moment.

February 26, 2016 - He sends Phillip Danualt and a second round pick to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for Dale Weise (30 percent retained salary) and Tomas Fleischman

June 23, 2017 - He sends Artemi Panarin, Tyler Motte and a sixth round pick to Columbus in exchange for Anton Forsberg, Brandon Saad and a fifth round pick.

June 24, 2019 - He sends Anton Forsberg and Gustav Forsling to Carolina in exchange for Calvin De Haan and Aleksi Saarela.

July 23 2021 - He sends Adam Boqvist, two first round picks (2021 & 2022) and a second round pick in exchange for Seth Jones and a first round pick (2021).

These are Bowman's worst, no doubt, but I also failed to see any in his trade history that was a smashing success. So this is not to cherry-pick the worst among a lot of good by any stretch of the imagination. It is also incumbent upon us to state, as so many already have on forums like X and others, that he inherited an excellent roster built by Dale Tallon. All of Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Brent Seabrook, Marián Hossa, Corey Crawford, Dustin Byfuglien, etc. were already there when he assumed the position. He then proceeded to execute a historic talent bleed, one for the ages.

I began my previous post about Evander Kane, exclaiming how I do not cover off the ice events, without clear and established facts based on evidence, proven beyond a reasonable doubt. This is one case where the facts are very clear, and they are as horrendous as they are true. I will link to the Jenner and Block report here. Don't take my word for it, read the details for yourself.

Two other peculiar items I have found surrounding Wednesday's events are that, Jackson made his profile on X "private" the night before, which disables anybody from contacting him or commenting on his posts, which makes his comments at the press conference about "not being worried" about what the fans have to say feel empty. Furthermore, the event was scheduled on the same day of Mark Spector's annual charity golf event where it's said to be hosting a number of the usual Oilers press core although I could not verify who is in attendance. Mark Spector from Sportsnet and Ryan Rishaug from TSN were the noticeable absentees in the media scrum.

It's also important to clear up any misinformation to be even-handed. There is a claim being shared that Bowman wrote a letter of recommendation for Brad Aldrich upon leaving the Blackhawks organization, which is false and this is demonstrated in the above report. Regardless, however, he was guilty along with Joel Quenneville and Al Macisaac of dismissing the assault upon learning of it after they had won the Western Conference Final in 2010, and choosing to "focus their exclusive attention to hockey operations". I don't want to "re-litigate the past" as Bowman himself said of his own situation in Wednesday's media availability, but I want to examine just what this decision means going forward for the Edmonton Oilers.

The juice appears not worth the squeeze and has left many of us scratching our heads. As the story unfolds we are sure to uncover more details. But serious questions remain. Why was Bowman selected over the other choices? Does this jeopardize the chances of extending Leon Draisaitl, Evan Bouchard and Connor McDavid long term? Why weren't they consulted if such is this case as Jackson claims? It seems their futures hanging in the balance, it would be paramount to assure they are comfortable with the decision. Why would they risk losing the cornerstones of the franchise that make them the cup contender that they are?

Why would they put themselves through this public backlash for a man who before the awful sexual assault cover-up case, came out was already ruining his reputation among the hockey community (especially in Chicago) for his mere incompetency as a GM?

In closing, I want to offer my sincerest condolences to those who have been affected by sexual assault in their lifetime and who are angered and hurt by this hire today. More to come.

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