As the Edmonton Oilers prepare for a cup run, what has their GM done to ensure this happens again and again: 9 Things

The Edmonton Oilers have taken a decidedly more circuitous path to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. But the road begins anew, Monday comes.

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In the meantime, General Manager Stan Bowman has been busy ensuring that this franchise is in the same position to “go for it” every April, for as long as the jerseys 97 and 29 are in Oilers colours.

That and more in this playoff edition of…

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9 Things

9. It took just one night of watching games on Saturday to reinforce my opinion that no other sport’s post season surpasses or even equals the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

8. Noah Philp had a hat trick on Saturday night as the Bakersfield Condors wrapped up their season. Philp was 19-16-35 in 55 GP. Stick taps to Seth Griffith who ended up just a single point shy of the AHL scoring title. I fully expect Philp, Matt Savoie and Olivier Rodrigue to be Black Aces in Edmonton.

7. The Ty Emberson extension announced Saturday is a solid bit of business by Stan Bowman. I had suggested back in January that an AAV around $1.5m would probably be in order for that player. Others pegged it higher. But the final deal ended up being a two-year deal with an AAV of $1.3m. Extremely good value.

6. More than a few people were wringing their hands on Friday when Josh Brown was slotted at the six on the Oilers blueline. I like the physicality he brings. But while John Klingberg is the superior skater and playmaker, I like Troy Stecher better than both. Stecher is skating back in Edmonton but will be ready to play in this series.

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5. Evander Kane is really close to being game-ready. The fact that he did not take the optional on Saturday is probably an indication that he is just a shade back of Trent Frederic, who I expect will play Game One. But Kane is likely to return no later than Game Three back in Edmonton. The only question remains is which version of Kane will we get?

4. Three Oilers have scored the most points of any NHL player since 2022: Connor McDavid at 95, Leon Draisaitl at 81 and Evan Bouchard at 58. Those stats courtesy the blue-chip Oilers play-caller Jack Michaels. He and Louie DeBrusk will call the series on TV. That allows Cam Moon to join Bob Stauffer on the radio call, thus serving both audiences well.

3. The Los Angeles Kings are a good club and will be a tough out. But I do not see them as that much better equipped to beat the Oilers than they were last season. I respect the hell out of Drew Doughty but he is thirty-five. Anze Kopitar is still a terrific two-way player at thirty-seven. But they are still the Kings best players. I think it will take big series by the likes of Quinton Byfield and Darcy Kuemper to conjure a different result. Edmonton’s best has to be better than L.A.’s.

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2. I agree that the Oilers have been inconsistent this season. But they did not end up in a much different place than they have the past four years. Consider the point totals from those seasons: 104, 109, 104, and in 2024-25…101. The regular season result is not particularly different. And none of it matters much at all if you win in the playoffs. Oh yeah, and Edmonton is the only team in the NHL that has both Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl on their roster. I will take those odds.

1.The Edmonton Oilers are in a much different place at this point in 2025 than they were in 2024, from an organizational standpoint. Readers of this column will know that I felt Ken Holland did a lot of the right things to stabilize this organization and get it to Game Seven of The Stanley Cup Finals. That included spending a lot of draft capital. But when you have a chance to win it all, that is the price you need to pay. Leave it all out there. And to his credit, Holland did.

What Mr. Holland did not do sufficiently in my eyes, however, is back-fill. Having spent the picks he needed to be more proactive in replenishing the young, budget-friendly depth than any good organization needs. And between that and the loss of Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway to offer sheets (I assign blame to Holland on both counts, but particularly Broberg), the cupboards were relatively bare. Free Agency alone can not make up that much of a deficit.

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But Stan Bowman has come in and (like Jeff Jackson with Analytics) rebuilt and restructured the entire development side of the organization. And it needed it. Strategic changes were made to scouting in particular. An those moves have resulted in those cupboards suddenly stocked with exciting young talent. Talent that has already had a chance to mature far past most eighteen-year-olds they might have nabbed in the draft. They can impact your lineup, in most cases, faster.

That is because Bowman made it his focus to farm the NCAA and Europe for the very best unsigned talent that he could find: David Tomasek, Josh Semanski and Atro Leppanen all had multiple NHL suitors….as did amateur gets such as Quinn Hutson and Samuel Jonsson. They all had ample opportunity elsewhere but chose Edmonton.

An important part of the equation here is Bowman’s willingness to role up his sleeves and work. I understand the General manager personally travelled to Europe to scout both Tomasek and Semanski in person. And his rock-solid reputation in the NCAA helped tilt things in Edmonton’s direction there.

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This major shift in doing business also required the willingness of ownership. With fully staffed and re-designed Analytics and Development Departments, the Oilers are now a more expensive franchise to Run. Like any owner, Daryl Katz needs to say yes to those costs. And while others have not, Katz has.

My strong guess would be that Mr. Katz, like other businessmen at his elite level, understands that capital investments and R&D are critical to success.

It is all too easy to be penny-wise but pound foolish. The landscape is littered with failed ventures (and hockey teams) who did not understand that.

Now on Bluesky @kurtleavins.bsky.social. Also, find me on Threads @kleavins, Twitter @KurtLeavins, Instagram at LeavinsOnHockey, and Mastodon at KurtLeavins@mstdn.social. This article is not AI generated.

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In memory of Bruce McCurdy, 1955-2025.

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