TALKING POINTS: Bowman & Knoblauch before the Western Conference Final

General Manager & Executive VP of Hockey Operations Stan Bowman spoke alongside Head Coach Kris Knoblauch on Tuesday evening after the Oilers arrived in Dallas ahead of Game 1 of the Western Conference Final against the Stars on Wednesday.

The executive and coach were asked questions on a variety of topics, including Kane, Walman, and Klingberg's play, building team speed, the Stars' strengths against the Oilers and more.

Read the full transcript and watch the entire media availability below:

Bowman on the additions of Walman & Klingberg and if he ever imagined they’d be playing together in the Stanley Cup Playoffs:

“Well, they're playing great. So far, so good. I think with our defence in general, one thing – if you've watched our team this year – is that Paul Coffey likes to mix the pairs up. We did have a stretch there where we had a lot of consistency, and then once we had a few injuries and some new players, there were a lot of changes. So I guess I didn't know they would end up together, but I think they've adapted well.

I think they both have some similarities to their game, but they also approach it a little bit differently. I think fundamentally, their strengths are that they can make plays with the puck to help our forwards out. That was something that we talked about early in the season, that we'd like to try to add a player or two who could give our forwards a better opportunity to score. We are an offensive team, and I think in transition we're really good, so the more opportunities you can give those players to get the puck on their stick when they need it at the right moment, I think that's important. Also, in the offensive zone, they've got the mobility, patience, and poise to make plays, so they've done a really good job together. I think even when they've been with other partners, they've found a way to contribute as well."

Bowman on the success of Stars GM Jim Nill and the threat the Stars pose to the Oilers:

“I think Jim's a tremendous general manager. I've known him for a long time, back to when he was in Detroit with my dad [Scotty Bowman]. You knew that one day he would get his chance. He was very patient waiting to become a general manager, and now you see the job that he's done here, it's been remarkable to see the team that he's built and he keeps adding new pieces to it, so hats off to him for that.

"Dallas has been a strong team for a number of years, and I'm not surprised to see them here again. So it's a challenge for sure. They can beat you in a few different ways. There isn’t just one way that they succeed, and I think at this time of year, you have to have some versatility if you want to win, because each round's a little bit different. I think you try to build off the previous round, but each opponent plays differently. So I think you have to be able to adapt your game, and I think Dallas has shown that. It's going to be a challenge."

Bowman on signing Klingberg and if he’s surpassed his expectations coming off his season-long recovery from double hip surgery:

“When we first contacted him, it was probably back in early November. He wasn't close to playing. It was probably going to be January before he was ready. I think the thing that you look at with John is that he is a talented player. He's been a really good defenceman for a long time, and then his game was derailed a bit with injuries. So I think there's certainly a concern when that happens after he missed as much time as he did. ‘Would he be able to get back to it?’ But fundamentally, his talent never changed. It's just, ‘is his body going to be able to respond to it?’

"So we spent a lot of time analyzing it and talking to different people, talking to him about the procedure he had done. We felt comfortable that he would eventually get back to being healthy. And then once he joined us, it was a matter of ‘how long would it take him to get comfortable?’ and it was tough because he was just getting going. Then we had the break with the Four Nations, and then right when he came back, he got hurt and missed a lot of time. So I guess I wasn't surprised that he's been able to play this well. We weren't sure how quickly he would get his game, and I think it took some time, but he was a great player here in Dallas for a long time, so you don't really lose your ability.

"A lot of the things that John does well are instinctive. They are things that you don't lose over time, but you do need your body to cooperate and do what you want to do, and I think he's gotten to that point now, and he's been a nice player for us.

Knoblauch on the Oilers building a faster team for these playoffs in comparison to last year:

"There are some aspects of the game that you need to be successful. One is that you need to be able to play a physical game. You have to be able to defend and score goals. Another one is playing fast with some pace. I think our makeup from last year's team changed a little bit with guys who had all-out speed. They used their legs. I think collectively as a team, not that we don't have guys that can skate. We do have guys who can go up and down – probably not as fast or as many as we had last year – but I think ultimately from a coach's standpoint, what you want to see is your team playing fast. That's mostly just making fast decisions, reading the play and where to be and collectively, whether that's offensively or defensively, with that mindset of not sitting back but having to attack. In the offensive zone, it means penetrating and getting in the middle of the ice. Defensively, collectively smother another team. So I think as a team, we've done a pretty good job of playing with that quickness."

Bowman on having to deal with offer sheets for Broberg and Holloway and how they altered his early tenure as GM of the Oilers:

"Yeah, normally the month of August is really slow. By then, you've signed your players, and your arbitrations are done, and nothing happens. It was early in August when that happened, and we almost went into trade deadline mode for that week. We were having meetings every day analyzing different options, so it was a different summer from that perspective. It was a challenge. Yeah, it was unusual, and those things don't happen very often. To get two of them like that was challenging. But I was really pleased. I got to know my staff really well, too. I think they did a great job in that. I was just getting used to the group I was working with, and I’ve got to give credit to them – to our front office staff and the scouts – they did a great job.

"In reference to your question, we talked a lot about our team and what we wanted. I think speed is something that's important. We've got the fastest player in the game, but just one player doesn't make your team fast. You've got to be able to have more than just one guy, and it's not always just about someone who can be fast in a speed-timed event. I think it's someone who can process the game quickly, like Kris said, so you can move the puck quickly, and you can make fast decisions. If you have enough skill to do that, your team can play fast.

"We have tried to add some guys who are good skaters as well. I think Kapanen gives us that look. He came in in November to give us a different look, and then Walman's a great skater as well. We were aware of the need to have speed, but you don't have to have every player be lightning fast. Corey Perry is not a fast skater, but he thinks the game quickly. He makes so many plays that when you watch him out there, he still can play fast even though he's not a fast skater."

Knoblauch on the team’s play through the first two series and what he thinks could be the key to defeating Dallas in the Western Conference Final:

“Well, a lot of credit to our players. Going into the playoffs, I think there were a lot of question marks about what our team would be like. We just had so many injuries. Leon and Connor had missed significant time leading up to the playoffs. Hyman, Frederic, Kane, and numerous defencemen, it was just that we weren't sure exactly what everyone would bring.

"As a coach, you're always thinking about who's best to play with who in situations, whether it's a defensive role or a scoring role, left wing, right wing, and we had a lot of unknowns. But one of the things that was good about that is that throughout the regular season, our lines fluctuated quite a bit trying to find the perfect match. And we did a lot in January, probably more than we should have, but it gave us a good idea of what specific lines could provide. That has paid off in the playoffs right now with certain lines that we put together.

"But at the trade deadline, we also wanted players who could move around the lineup, whether that's with Walman playing the left or right sides. Trent Frederic, is he going to be a left winger, center, or right winger? So for me as a coach, having a lot of players like that gives us a lot of flexibility on what we're going to do. At the start of the playoffs, everyone was starting to come back and most of them by game one. A few of them came in after that, but we still had to put it together. I think the guys did a good job of accepting their roles and playing their game.

"Ultimately, we had two great opponents, difficult opponents, and we had to dig in and battle. Of course, it doesn't get any easier now with Dallas. I think special teams are so important at this point of the year. The teams, everyone's good right now. There are no weak teams right now. And usually, the difference is a power play or power-play goal. I think especially with the way Dallas has been playing right now, their special teams are really good, and we'll have to really step up in that area."

Knoblauch on the Oilers power play through two series so far:

“The power plays, obviously, they fluctuate going up and down. If you have 100 power-play opportunities, you pretty much know how good you are in the game and how well it's going. But suppose it's just a short period of a few games, and certainly at this time of the year on the power play, we haven't gotten very many where if we could score one or two more times, whether it's hitting the net or the goalie not making a save or something like that, that percentage really fluctuates. Right now, 25% is still a pretty good power play. It's probably a bit down from what this team is usually accustomed to, but it won't get any easier. Their penalty kill doesn't give up very much. Oettinger has been really good in that area. But going forward in this series, if we're going to have success, we ought to find ways to score goals.”

Knoblauch on Kane being healthy in these playoffs and having an impact:

“Absolutely. Evander's moving so much better. Last year, you could tell that it was holding him back. He was giving everything he could, but when your body isn’t 100 percent, it's difficult to bring your game. His game is obviously a lot of physicality, big hits, winning battles, and scoring a lot of goals around the net. When your body's not 100 percent, and it was far from being 100 percent, it's tough to be at your best.

"Despite missing and not playing a game for 10 months and just coming back and getting up to speed, he's been looking really good. You saw it right away in the LA series, scoring some goals, factoring in on some big plays, and then the big hits he's made. It's not easy playing against him, so we're very fortunate to have Evander back with us playing the way he is. We'll take a few more.

Bowman on Joel Quenneville being hired in Anaheim:

“I've talked to Joel a couple of times. I just texted him when he got the job, congratulated him, and wished him luck. I've talked to him a few times over the years, and I know he was reflecting and trying to think about things, but also trying to do what he needed to do to get back in, and he did. They’ve got a good team there in Anaheim, and I'm sure he's eager to get back at it.”

Knoblauch on the addition of Mikko Rantanen changing their game plan for the Stars:

“Obviously, you've got a world-class player playing exceptionally well right now, and there's a player that we have to be aware of when he's on the ice. But we can't spend too much time and energy focusing on just one player, because Dallas is far from being a one-player team. They've got so many scoring threats. I believe they had eight players over 20 goals. So yes, we're going to have to have success. If we do have success, we have to keep him in check, but also, a lot of guys to watch out for. So I think we take a lot of pride in having many players who can play in key situations. Throughout the series, we've had our fourth line play against other teams' top lines, and we feel very comfortable with the depth that we have throughout our lineup, that we're in a position that we can do that. And going forward, we will need that collective team effort to play good defensive hockey."

Knoblauch on if the status of Mattias Ekholm has changed since his first full skate on Monday:

“No. All I'm hopeful of is that he joins us sometime in this series. We don't have a game in mind or when exactly he will go. Matias is doing really well, but to say that we have an idea of exactly when he's going to come in, absolutely not. But it's nice to know that Matthias has been joining us. He's been on the ice skating with the team. But to have a date when he will be entering this series, we don't."