It’s appropriate that Edmonton Oilers general manager (GM) Stan Bowman was named after the Stanley Cup by his legendary father Scotty. Stan and Scotty Bowman have a combined 17 Stanley Cup rings between the two of them, and the pressure to get the 18th may be the toughest one to achieve in the Bowman family.
The task of guiding the 2025-26 Oilers to their sixth Stanley Cup championship in franchise history falls squarely on the shoulders of the younger Bowman. On Oct. 6, he signed Oilers captain Connor McDavid to a team-friendly, two-year contract worth $12.5 million per season–well under McDavid’s current market value of close to $20 million per season.
Related: Connor McDavid Signs 2-Year Extension With Edmonton Oilers
Now that this important piece of the puzzle is in place, it’s up to Bowman to get the rest of his roster aligned in hopes of bringing back a Stanley Cup to Oil Country.
Bowman Needs to Improve Oilers Roster Throughout the Season
There are three majour tasks Bowman needs to do in order for the Oilers to be successful:
- Find A Stanley-Cup-calibre goaltender
- Trade for a scoring winger for McDavid and Leon Draisaitl
- Continue to build Edmonton’s farm system and add to the prospect pool
Seems easy. Yet, these are truly monumental tasks for Bowman to accomplish in a league with teams that will make it tough on Bowman and the Oilers knowing fully well it’s now or never for this group of Oilers led by McDavid and Draisaitl.
Oilers Success Begins and Ends With Goaltending
As easy as it is to like the Oilers goaltending tandem of Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard, the reality is the Oilers need a top-flight goaltender to get them to a Stanley Cup championship. Skinner, for as likeable a guy as he is, who says all the right things in media scrums, needs a change of scenery. From threats to his family during the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs to being unable to make key stops at opportune times, the pressure of playing in his hometown just isn’t helping Skinner.
Bowman needs to give the kid another chance on another team while bolstering his own crease. If both Skinner and Pickard can get off to a solid start this season, their value will only increase as we get closer to the 2026 Trade Deadline in early March. After two unsuccessful attempts at backstopping the Oilers to a Stanley Cup, there’s just no way that Skinner can be trusted to get the team over the hum.
Oilers Secondary Scoring Still Needs Improving
There are a lot of things that need to go right for Bowman and the Oilers early in the season. Players such as Trent Frederic, Andrew Mangiapane, and Matthew Savoie have to get off to strong starts and provide a spark of offence throughout the season. Bowman also has to hope that veteran winger Zach Hyman’s wrist will be fully healed from the injury he sustained in the 2025 Western Conference Final against the Dallas Stars. If Hyman can regain the form that saw him score 54 goals in 2023-24, Bowman and the Oilers will be a happy bunch.
However, if there’s a team with a proven winger that’s going to be out of contention by the trade deadline, you have to hope that Bowman can make a deal and keep his roster under the salary cap (right now, they’re right up to the ceiling)> You can never have enough offensive weapons in the NHL.
Bowman Needs to Continue to Add Prospects
This is one of Bowman’s tallest tasks as GM. How do you restock the farm system when you’re using your first-round pick as trade bait? Bowman mentioned to Oilers insider Bob Stauffer that he’ll be looking at creative ways to continue to bolster the lineup–including scouting more NCAA players and looking at European leagues more closely. Based on how resourceful Bowman has been in just over a full season on the job, you can expect Bowman to continue to find diamonds in the rough for a team that needs more young skill players.
Winning Is All That Matters in the End
Bringing in a veteran GM like Bowman was a positive move for the Oilers. With Bowman’s network in hockey, and his ability to bring players no one expected to the Oilers such as Jake Walman and Frederic, he’s the right guy in the right place right now. Based on Bowman’s track record, you have to believe he’ll do his part to help McDavid win his first Stanley Cup in Edmonton. It’s going to be an interesting season in Edmonton, both on and off the ice.
