The Edmonton Oilers were lauded for not only their opening day of free agency, but a trade a short time later that sent Ryan McLeod to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for Matthew Savoie. Many even believed that they won free agency, as they added two top-six forwards, Jeff Skinner and Viktor Arvidsson, to an already lethal forward group.
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That said, there were some other moves, one in particular, that rubbed many, including Oilers fans, the wrong way. As a result, they were ranked to have one of the worst front offices in the NHL based on a new fan conducted survey in an article published by The Athletic (from ‘Dom Luszczyszyn: NHL front-office rankings, 2024: How fans feel about every team’, The Athletic 8/6/24).
Oilers’ Front Office Near Bottom of the League
Had this survey been conducted prior to July 24, the Oilers’ front office likely would have been ranked much higher. Instead, they came in shockingly low at 30th among all 32 NHL teams. That, in large part, as mentioned by the author, Dom Luszczyszyn, was due to the hiring of general manager (GM) Stan Bowman.
Following the departure of Ken Holland, it was Jeff Jackson who was serving as the interim GM. His masterclass in free agency had Oilers fans praying he would remain in that role, though he made it clear on several occasions he wasn’t interested in doing so. Then, all the praise he had racked up went out the window almost immediately following the hiring of the extremely controversial Bowman.
“Jeff Jackson was having a top-notch summer, one that had the Oilers looking like no-doubt Stanley Cup favorites for next season,” Luszczyszyn wrote. “After coming so close in 2024, the Oilers looked like the team to beat in 2025. All of that goodwill seemed to evaporate with the franchise’s controversial hiring of Stan Bowman, which was panned by many fans.
“On top of being banished from the league for three years for what the NHL deemed an ‘inadequate response’ to sexual assault allegations brought forth by former Blackhawks player Kyle Beach, there’s also a lengthy track record of questionable decision-making in Chicago.”
As Luszczyszyn alluded to, while many felt Bowman shouldn’t be hired due to his inadequate response regarding Beach’s sexual assault allegations, many feel he wasn’t a great GM to begin with. He made several questionable hockey decisions during his tenure in Chicago, with perhaps the two most notable being trading Artemi Panarin for Brandon Saad, and signing Seth Jones to an eight-year, $76 million deal.
The signing of Jones is one in particular that worries Oilers fans, as an extension needs to be worked out for Leon Draisaitl before free agency next offseason, and shortly after both Connor McDavid and Evan Bouchard will need new deals. While all three will receive significant contracts, it’s crucial they don’t get overpaid, and many aren’t confident that Bowman is capable of making sure that doesn’t happen.
Survey Continues to Fault Oilers
Being low in this annual survey from The Athletic is nothing new for the Oilers. Last year, they sat 20th among all 32 teams. While still quite low, that marked their highest finish. They came in at 23rd in 2022, 28th in 2021, 22nd in 2020, 28th in 2019, and 29th in 2018. This shows there isn’t much confidence whatsoever in their front office, which is probably well justified given that despite having two of the game’s best in McDavid and Draisaitl, they have yet to win a Stanley Cup.
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The confidence in the Oilers brass has likely gone down even further now, as the organization is likely to lose at least one of Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway after both signed offer sheets with the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday (Aug. 13). It’s a major mistake from the organization, as both players are first-round picks who have bright futures in the NHL, and should have remained on this roster for years to come.
