The Edmonton Oilers once again came up short in the Stanley Cup final, falling to the Florida Panthers for the second year in a row.
Now, the overriding question becomes, “What do the Oilers do next?” That question isn’t so easy to answer, with some tough calls to make.
On the one hand, there’s a clear temptation to run it back with the same group of players. Edmonton was only one win away from a Cup championship in 2023-24, and they were only two wins away this year. The Oilers’ core should be relied on to have a successful 2025-26 campaign, and GM Stan Bowman would be a fool to mess around with it.
However, what would the Panthers, Vegas Golden Knights or Tampa Bay Lightning do? These are the most successful teams in the NHL in recent years, and they all share one thing in common: the willingness not to be satisfied with the results they put together, no matter how successful they’ve been.
Panthers GM Bill Zito was fortunate and savvy enough to win his first Cup last season, and he had the stones to walk away from key defenseman Brandon Montour when he sought a raise. Before that, Zito traded MacKenzie Weegar and a 115-point Jonathan Huberdeau in the deal that brought star Matthew Tkachuk to Florida.
Even after this year’s second Cup win, Zito may allow lifelong Panther Aaron Ekblad to leave for greener pastures via free agency after trading for five more years of Seth Jones. Zito has always been one of the more proactive GMs in the league, and he’s never been afraid to shake things up.
Meanwhile, Golden Knights GM Kelly McCrimmon has become famous for being cold-blooded in his roster decisions from year to year. Whether it’s acquiring defenseman Noah Hanifin and centers Tomas Hertl and Jack Eichel, McCrimmon has never been content with sticking with the status quo.
In Tampa Bay, Lightning GM Julien BriseBois has also constantly changed his lineup. BriseBois has traded (and reacquired) veteran defenseman Ryan McDonagh, landed Nick Paul and Jake Guentzel, dealt for star Brandon Hagel, acquired (and traded) center Barclay Goodrow and left winger Tanner Jeannot and traded star defenseman Mikhail Sergachev while letting captain Steven Stamkos walk. Looking at the macro picture, it’s quite something to see how willing BriseBois has been when changing the mix of his team.
The Oilers need to be just as proactive with the talent on their roster. They’re almost assuredly going to be re-signing RFA D-man Evan Bouchard, and they’re going to take very long looks at UFA forwards Corey Perry, Trent Frederic, Connor Brown and Kasperi Kapanen.
But there will probably be a lot of frustration if Edmonton brings back the same goalie tandem next season. One or both of Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard have to go. Whether that means trading for current Anaheim Ducks veteran John Gibson or taking a chance on a different netminder, the Oilers just need some more reliable, consistent netminding.
The Oilers Must Address Their Goaltending, Regardless Of What Happens In The FinalThere was a time during the playoffs this year where Stuart Skinner of the Edmonton Oilers had not posted a single-game save percentage between .835 and .999, which means he was either lights-out or out to lunch in every game.
In any case, while it would be easy and comfortable for Bowman to bring back just about everybody, the better option would be for him to make some notable roster changes. If it’s good enough for the Panthers, Golden Knights and Lightning, it should be good enough for Edmonton, especially if it convinces superstar captain Connor McDavid to sign a contract extension.
Change is not only necessary, but it’s crucial to keep up with the Joneses as other high-end teams continue making moves to improve. That should be front and center on Bowman’s mind as he plots out the next steps for this Oilers franchise.
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