Bowman on whether a shorter-term deal for McDavid alters management’s approach:
“No, it doesn't change anything at all for me. It's not like we're planning out five years from now to be a team that might be able to win the cup. Our focus last year was to win. Our focus this year is to win. So this doesn't change anything. In my conversations with Connor, he's curious. He likes to know what's coming, what my thoughts are, and how I see the team and how we can get better. They were very good discussions and good dialogue back and forth. He's a very smart guy in addition to being an amazing player. He's got a lot of good ideas, and that's why it's fun to talk hockey with him.”
Bowman on how they’ll approach spending the extra savings from the McDavid deal as the NHL salary cap rises:
“Nothing changes in the short term, I think, so it's not like we're changing course with our plans. I think certainly, it's a great situation to have more options next summer than we would otherwise, but I don't think anything changes. We still have to do our work and prepare. You're constantly living in both worlds, which is the here and now. This year, we're still focused. We’ve got the opening game on Wednesday. We're really focused on that right now and getting off to a good start, and seeing how our team looks and seeing what adjustments we need to make. The fact that he's signing for $12.5 million AAV is going to impact where we go in the summertime.
"But as far as this year, that doesn't really change anything. We were always going to be operating and trying to improve our team, so it's not like we're going to try something different just because of where we're at. I think it's a great situation to be in. We're optimistic about where we are right now. I like our group for this year, and getting off to a good start is important. So we're looking at that right now, and then as we get into the season more, you're looking at the deadline and the offseason, then we certainly have more options than we would have otherwise. And that's fantastic.”
Bowman on whether the McDavid extension will make management more aggressive in terms of improving the team to maximize the window:
“I mean, yes, but I would say nothing's changed. We had the exact same approach a year ago. If you look at the way we've operated over the last 13 months, we've been looking at our team right now, and we're not building to five years from now to be a good team. It's full steam ahead, and we're excited.
Bowman on how the McDavid extension could change their philosophy for attracting free agents in the summer:
“I don't think it changes anything. We're trying to win, and like I've said a few times now, we're not trying to build this up to be good down the road. We want to win now. So usually, that requires bringing in good players and developing players from within. I think that's the one thing I'm excited about for this year's team: we have a group of players on our team now that have a lot of runway left to keep growing their game and getting better over the course of a season. So I think looking at our team this year, I expect our team to be a better team in the spring than we are now for a couple of reasons: we hope to add to the mix of adding new players, but also we've got a group of players much more than last year where if we can do our job, and with our coaching staff working with these guys and them gaining experience, they're going to keep improving. So I think our team should be getting better that way."
“That's really when your team has a chance to take that next step. Hopefully, that final step is when we can have some internal progression in addition to external adds. When we get to next summer, I think it's the same thing. We're always looking to bring in new players that will give us a new look or give us an edge, and that's not going to change. We're going to have opportunities that we otherwise wouldn't have had because Connor wanted the AAV that he did. So absolutely, it's a great situation, but it doesn't change anything. We had planned to be aggressive all along. Back to your question as to what other players are motivated by, I think when you see Connor’s, it's obvious what he wants, which is to win, and his actions have shown that. I think that's a pretty inspiring thing for a player to do, so each player's situation is different. But if I'm a player who's thinking of coming to Edmonton for next year, it gets me pretty excited knowing how committed the captain is.”
Bowman on preserving the competitiveness of the Oilers as a Stanley Cup contender to keep McDavid around long-term after his new contract expires:
“I guess everything factors into it, but I think making a push to try to win is the most important thing right now. That’s a commitment that we've all made to Connor. We've had conversations like, ‘We're on the same page as you are, we want to win’, and the other part of it is we've got some younger players this year, and we've made a commitment to our development staff and to recruiting players in Europe and North America and that's going to continue to be a big focus for us. I think the goal is to try to do both, and of course, it's hard. We won't be accumulating many top-10 draft picks in the coming years, but that doesn't mean you can't acquire young players."
"Look at our roster now compared to where it was a year ago. We didn't get any more draft picks over that period of time, but we've been able to find some young players and develop them. So I think that's part of what these conversations we've had with Connor are – just explaining to him the vision of how we can do this, how we can also find a way to bring in some younger guys, and then develop them. They don't have to be all-world players this year, but you look ahead two years from now, get a couple of guys in their early 20s that have two years of NHL experience, and that's when those guys tend to really come into their own, and that's lining up really well with this timeline. So that's our goal.
Bowman on the uniqueness of the negotiations where money and term weren’t the biggest factors, but instead being about aligning interests with McDavid and the organization:
“Yeah, in my experience, usually in every negotiation, it's a factor of the term and the salary. Those are the two things. And then once you get agreement on that, you talk about the structure, you talk about other things, but I would say in every other negotiation, it's focused on the money. So it was really an unprecedented type of situation and it was really trying to get Connor to a comfort level where this felt right.
"I said from the beginning, I don't know when it's going to be, but Connor's going to sign when it feels right to him, then he's going to make up his mind. So in the process of those discussions, it's my job to have conversations and talk to him and explain things and understand what he has to say. I'm not here to share what those conversations are, but we had a number of really good conversations with him, and it was never once about terms or dollars. So it's extremely unusual, but the circumstances are unusual. Connor's such a special player and special guy and leader that I think this situation called for probably a different approach.”
Bowman on the signing of defenceman Jake Walman to a seven-year, $49 million ($7M AAV) contract on Monday alongside the McDavid announcement:
“Yeah, very excited. Had a great chat with Jake when he came in today to sign it. He's pumped. That process has gone on for a while, and it was a situation of trying to work within our structure, but also reward Jake for not only his current play, but also his position in the, the landscape. When you have a year left on your deal, you're probably trying to navigate what my value is going to be if I sign, if I don't sign, and what the market is going to look like. There are a lot of predictions or a lot of guesswork in that.
"But in my conversations with Jake, it reminded me of when we traded for him, and I talked to him about coming to Edmonton, and we really believe in him as a player, and we think this is going to be a great opportunity, and we don't look at this as a one-year situation. Right after that first conversation I had with him, I said we saw him as a player who could help us and be a part of this in the future. Obviously, that's something that players like to hear, and they like to understand their role not only in the current group, but in the future. He’s been a great fit for our team. He came in and he really changed the complexion of our D, and it kind of made everyone just fit in their spots just right. I was really impressed with his ability, and he’s a super competitive guy. It wasn't until we got him on our team that I realized how much of a warrior he is. He blocks shots all the time. He's very competitive, physical, and he's got that competitive side. On top of that, he's such a great skater. He has a really effortless stride, and his mobility is really good. He's got a big shot, he's comfortable playing on the right side, which was something that we were looking for. It's always great to have a lot of right-hand defencemen.
"He's an offensive weapon when he's on the right side because he's got that one timer, and he just gives us a threat offensively beyond just Ekholm and Bouchard. Along with him and Nurse, we've got four guys who can all make plays. Jake and Darnell are great skaters, big guys and strong, so when you add that all up, it's a very big piece of the current team. Going forward, I believe having a strong defence is very important to your long-term success as a team – especially when you have some offensive forwards that are very talented. You can support them with guys that are comfortable with the puck, but not such one-way players that they can't dig in and play in their own end. I think Jake checked all those boxes, so I'm very happy that he believed in us and wanted to be here.”
