Oilers Already Hard At Work After Stanley Cup Disappointment
The Oilers front office has a lot to do this summer
While the Florida Panthers are still partying it up after a second straight Stanley Cup victory, the Edmonton Oilers are already hard at work trying to get ready for next season after a second straight Stanley Cup Final loss.
This is going to be a big offseason for the Oilers as they try to crack the code that will lead to the team winning its first Stanley Cup since 1990, and their first big move of the summer was to move forward Evander Kane — a big piece of the two teams that made it to the Cup Final these last two seasons — to the Vancouver Canucks.
In return, the Oilers get a fourth-round pick in this year's NHL Draft (which gets underway on Friday), and the move helps clear some salary cap space ahead of the biggest item on the team's to-do list, and that is cutting a new deal with franchise player Connor McDavid, who will be a free agent at the end of the 2025-26 season.
The Oilers offseason is well underway with the team shipping Evander Kane (Right) to the Canucks and their team brass heading to Ontario to begin contract talks with Connor McDavid's (Left) camp. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
That is going to be a tall order. McDavid has been pretty clear about there being unfinished business in Edmonton, but he has also talked about needing to do what he thinks is best for him and his family.
What's best for him will likely be playing wherever he thinks he can win.
Now with the draft and free agency on the way over the next week, Oilers brass are juggling all of that in addition to working on an extension with McDavid.
According to TSN's Ryan Rishaug, Oilers GM Stan Bowman and team CEO Jeff Jackson were in Ontario to get the ball rolling talks with McDavid's agent Judd Moldaver.
There's a good chance that this is simply the start of a long, drawn-out process, and it sure seems McDavid has all the leverage. He can sit and watch what the Oilers do next Tuesday when free agency opens up, as well as how they draft this weekend to get a sense for how seriously they might contend.
McDavid shouldn't be concerned about money, because he'll get paid wherever he goes.
On the other hand, the Oilers will want this done and dusted ASAP. That's because if they can't get a deal done, they have to see if they can trade McDavid (which would require him waiving a no-movement clause), and the sooner they do that, the better the return will be.
It's going to be a fascinating few months in Oilers Land, that's for sure.