Now that the 2026 NHL Draft has come and gone, the focus for the Edmonton Oilers and all other 31 NHL front offices turn to the July 1st free agency start and the rest of the offseason.
Yet, the Oilers who need to make bold moves more than almost any team has been silent. Apart from making their controversial head coach hire official and signing pending unrestricted free agents; Jason Dickinson and Connor Murphy.
We saw the fourth overall pick traded, the first time a top five draft pick has been dealt post-lottery in nearly 20 years. Alex Tuch, who was connected to the Oilers was dealt in a sign-and-trade but the Oilers stood pat.
In an NHL that seems to be trying to mirror the NBA in terms of the aggressiveness and blockbuster moves, the Oilers have been missing in action.
Successful teams are aggressive
We have seen in recent years that aggressive front offices, win championships. The Carolina Hurricanes, Florida Panthers, and Vegas Golden Knights, these three teams have won the last four Stanley Cups and just a cursory look into how they operate will explain most of what you need to know.
These teams have the antithesis of a classic 'conservative' front office. These are the teams that are always rumoured to be kicking around on players and successfully pulling it off, leaving many fans scratching their heads at how they can possibly get away with it over and over.
The truth is, these teams find a way, they employ an analytics heavy mindset and surround their front office with smart people who are always looking at ways to improve. They exploit loopholes and they are relentless in their pursuit of winning. This is something that the Oilers need to do more and that Bowman and Co. specifically need to do more of.
The Hurricanes added Nikolaj Ehlers last summer in free agency to a modest six-year contract, carrying an $8.5 million annual average value. This came after a gutsy midseason acquisition and trade of Mikko Rantanen. The Golden Knights added Mitch Marner to their group and made a Stanley Cup final after various other big name acquisitions throughout their history like; Mark Stone, Alex Pietrangelo, and Jack Eichel.
The Panthers as well have been able to add players like the recent trade to reunite the Tkachuk brothers and the additions of Sam Bennett and Brad Marchand, along with Seth Jones.
Bowman needs to do more
Seeing how these three incredibly successful teams operate, the Oilers need to emulate them when it comes to player acquisitions. They are able to consistently add to their team, identifying areas of need and taking action.
Meanwhile, the Oilers refused to upgrade their goaltending tandem last summer, entering the 2025-26 season with Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard sharing their crease. After multiple months of it clearly not working in Edmonton, they made a trade to acquire Tristan Jarry from the Pittsburgh Penguins, which has backfired as of now.
Now, as the Oilers enter the 2026 off-season, they need to make more moves in net once again and add to their team but while other teams across the league make massive trades, the Oilers do not. Given the importance of this summer, Bowman and his newly promoted front office would do well to be bold and make moves that will tangibly upgrade the Oilers. If not, it could be the undoing of the Oilers as we know them today.
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