Bowman’s moves help Oilers, but playoff run still depends on core
If the three newest Oilers are going to augment this roster in a positive way, then it’s up to the aforementioned group of six — the top line, the top defensive pair and the top goalie — to raise their game to a level that will give Frederic, Jones and Walman a roster worth augmenting.
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EDMONTON — Stan Bowman accomplished more at the 2025 trade deadline than any of his Pacific Division colleagues, though his work placed the Edmonton Oilers below the Dallases and Floridas of the National Hockley League on deadline day.
We can argue the width, breadth and quality of Bowman’s work, and they were doing just that in pubs across the Alberta capital Friday evening. But however you grade Bowman’s work in landing two big forwards in Trent Frederic and Max Jones and a legit top-four defenceman in Jake Walman, we’ve got news for you:
Whatever the three newest Edmonton Oilers accomplish, it will not matter if the Oilers existing “top six” don’t shore up their games considerably.
Connor McDavid. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Zach Hyman.
Evan Bouchard. Mattias Ekholm.
If the three newest Oilers are going to augment this roster in a positive way, then it’s up to the aforementioned group of six — the top line, the top defensive pair and the top goalie — to raise their game to a level that will give Frederic, Jones and Walman a roster worth augmenting.
Welcome to your 2025 Stanley Cup run, Oilers fan.
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Twenty-three players, plus Evander Kane at some point in time, are trying to find that elusive Stanley Cup run in May and June, while still searching for a game in March that is good enough to contend.
They are, alas, a veteran squad that has reached switch-flippin’ time.
“Well, I don’t know about flipping the switch,” began Bowman, when asked about a sleepy team that is having a hard time waking up post-4 Nations. “I think it’s probably more of a process than it is flipping the switch.”
Bowman has had more needs this last week than cap space and assets to fill them.
So he started with a big, abrasive forward in Frederic, who arrives with an ankle injury but will play, Bowman stated, “certainly before April.” Then he tacked on a six-foot-three fourth-line winger in Max Jones, who has much to prove at the NHL level, but two big bodies are definitely welcome.
“We have a lot of players who are similar up front,” Bowman said, as he met the media after his first deadline as the Oilers’ GM. “For the most part (his forward group) are not like Frederic or Jones. That is something we’ve been lacking, and it was important to address that.
“It’s a competition now. I think it’s good to have players looking around to realize that if I’m not on my game, someone’s going to take my spot.”
His other key addition had to be a top-four defenceman, and most of us assumed he would land a Brandon Carlo type: right shot, big and defensive-minded.
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Instead, Bowman surprised by getting a more offensive lefty in Walman from the San Jose Sharks, who comes with an extra year remaining on his contract at $3.4 million. That style choice is simply a matter of preference for a GM who prefers speed, puck movement and mobility over the traditional Joel Edmundson or Erik Gudbranson type.
“He’s a No. 1 defenceman on (San Jose),” Bowman said of Walman, who posted a minus-1 in 50 games for a Sharks team with a minus-72 goals differential that is dead last in the NHL. “You look at the way he’s been able to perform at that level on a team that that’s had — it’s been a struggle a bit for that team this year — I think it shows you how well he’s played.”
Walman’s presence could mean fewer minutes for Ekholm, or he could give Bouchard a breather in some offensive situations. Either way, we predict a team that will use five defencemen extensively and a sixth guy — Troy Stecher, Ty Emberson, John Klingberg — who plays around 10 minutes a night.
Bowman was never enamoured with the thought of spending assets on a goaltender, and Skinner’s stellar performance on Thursday night in a 3-2 overtime win over Montreal likely made an entire organization feel better about that tact.
His theory in acquiring Walman is to aid his team in limiting defensive zone time by bringing in a defenceman who can both pass and skate the puck out of trouble.
“We’re trying to not put so much pressure on (his goalies) that they’re trying to save games for us. Our team game has escaped us a bit. As a result, it puts more pressure on your goalies,” he admitted. “I’d like to see both things take a bit of an uptick.”
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So, what else did Bowman not address?
It would have been sweet to reward Leon Draisaitl’s Hart Trophy season with a winger who has more finish than the ones he’s been saddled with all season long. But Bowman hinted that player may just be Frederic — if they don’t use him as a third-line centre.
“If Frederic is going to play on the wing, he could play on one of the top two lines,” Bowman said.
As for Kane, the team made it official on Thursday that he will not play any more regular-season games this season.
“I do expect him to be back at some point,” Bowman said. “Will it be the start of the playoffs? I don’t know. If we can play long enough he’ll definitely play for us this year.
“You look at Frederic, Jones and Kane,” Bowman added. “That’s a handful, those three players, in a playoff series.”
