This is it.
Barring any unforeseen developments, the Edmonton Oilers lineup is set.
General manager Stan Bowman likes his defence, doesn’t plan on adding another top six winger, doesn’t see anything worthwhile in the goaltending market and plans on filling his depth vacancies from within.
So that’s that. All that needs to be done now is round out the coaching staff now that Glen Gulutzan is the new head coach in Dallas.
In his media availability Wednesday morning, Bowman said Andrew Mangiapane, signed to a two-year deal worth $3.6 million a year, can round out the top two lines while a trio of newcomers, including former Edmonton Oil Kings player Curtis Lazar (one year, $775,000), can fill out the bottom.
It’s a very different look from last season after a startling exodus of depth players — Corey Perry, Connor Brown, Viktor Arvidsson and Evander Kane — especially considering the impact they had in the post season, but Bowman believes bringing in new blood is crucial.
“We did lose a couple of players who were big contributors,” said Bowman. “A lot of it was the function of the salary cap. We weren’t going to be able to meet their demands for fitting into our puzzle.
“So we do have a few new faces coming in but I think that’s not a bad thing. It’s nice to have some new faces in your group — they bring a bit of a different energy. They’re hungry to get far in the playoffs and play in the Stanley Cup Final.”
After going four rounds deep two years in a row and coming away empty-handed, it might be easy for the team to fall into a rut. But adding a handful of fresh faces to the room keeps things fresh and exciting — which is a big deal on an older team coming off a pair of frustrating runs.
“We’re turning the page forward and looking at some different combinations we can have now with some new players,” said Bowman. “I do think that’s a positive. Something we’re trying to build on is a little bit of newness in our group. I think that will help get us going next year.
“We’re not just coming back with the same exact group of players and the same blueprint. It’s going to be a new team. All the key players are back, it’s just finding the right mixture. That’s what makes it exciting and for that reason I think we’re in a really good spot right now.”
The goaltending situation looks like it will be status quo, however, with Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard. There were some middling keepers available on July 1, but nothing that the Oilers saw as a major upgrade worth pouring significant money and assets into.
“We’re doing our job and talking to teams and agents but nothing out there really made any sense for us to move forward on. Where we are now makes the most sense for us.”
With Mangiapane joining Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Zach Hyman and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins in the top six, there is still one opening on the first two lines. But that’s not an item on Bowman’s shopping list going froward.
“I would expect it to come from within,” he said. “We have a number of guys who played in that role last year, Kapanen and Podkolzin did stretches. I expect Matt Savoie to be on our team and to play a role. We have David Tomasek.”
He also sees Trent Frederic and even Adam Henrique as possible options.
“We don’t just have just one person we’re hoping to fill it. We’re going to try some different looks. We have a number of internal candidates who deserve the opportunity to show us what they can do. I wouldn’t be expecting to add anything else to that part of our team.”
As for the Evan Bouchard signing, while some people are sad about the $10.5 million tag for just four years, a long-term deal was never going to happen. And playing hardball left the Oilers open to an offer sheet.
Players and agents are well aware that the salary cap is about to skyrocket, so they don’t want to lock in for eight years unless it is for a massive number that would destroy Edmonton’s cap space in the short term
“We were going for an eight-year deal but that was never really in the cards,” said Bowman. “The agent indicated that wasn’t something they thought made sense for them. A number for an eight-year deal was so high it wouldn’t have made sense for anybody.”
Now that the team is set, Bowman and head coach Kris Knoblauch are now on the hunt for a replacement for Gulutzan.
“That’s something we have to spend some time on now,” said Bowman. “We haven’t had a chance to focus on that, the full attention has been on free agency. Starting today the top priority is to round out our coaching staff.”
E-mail: rtychkowski@postmedia.com
Related
Bookmark our website and support our journalism: Don’t miss the news you need to know — add EdmontonJournal.com and EdmontonSun.com to your bookmarks and sign up for our newsletters.
You can also support our journalism by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribers gain unlimited access to The Edmonton Journal, Edmonton Sun, National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites. The Edmonton Journal | The Edmonton Sun