TALKING POINTS: Bowman & Knoblauch speak during end-of-season media availability

Oilers General Manager & Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations Stan Bowman and Head Coach Kris Knoblauch spoke to the media on Friday morning at Rogers Place following the conclusion of the 2024-25 NHL season.

The executive and coach discussed Edmonton's run to the Stanley Cup Final for the second straight year, improving at the goaltending and forward positions, pending contract negotiations with Connor McDavid, and more.

Read the entire transcript and watch the media availability in its entirety below:

Bowman gives his assessment of the Oilers' season and how the team evolved:

“Sitting here today with the way it ended, it certainly feels like disappointment. I think it's hard to reflect on how great a season it was in the moment. I think that over time, you gain some perspective on that, and I know from experience that the emotions of the moment are challenging right now. But I'll do my best to explain that this was a great season.

“We fell short, but we did a lot of great things. There are 30 other teams that would trade us for where we were. So I think for me, being my first year with the team in Edmonton, I heard a lot about what it's like to witness the fans and the support. I watched it from a distance, but first, I want to say that it's incredible to see the support we have from the fans here and the enthusiasm they have for the team. There's nothing like being here in the playoffs and watching the city be captivated by our team. So that was really special. It's a credit to everyone here who loves the team as much as they do.

“I think at the end of the day, Florida played better than we did in the Final and they deserved it. I think leading up to that point, we played some very impressive hockey. If you start from game three of the LA series, once we got going all the way through to the Final, we played well and we made it. I think we did to those other teams what Florida did to us, which is not letting them get to their game. We were able to win in a lot of different ways. It wasn't just one style that we were winning with. Sometimes it was the goaltending, sometimes it was the forwards, sometimes it was how great our D was transitioning the puck. Sometimes, it was our big guys finding a way to score an overtime goal to win the game for us. So I think we had a lot of different contributions, and we left those teams LA, Vegas and Dallas, scratching their heads like ‘what happened?’ And that's kind of what happened to us.

"We didn't play our best in the Final. Florida was excellent. I think you have to give them credit. They played really well. It was a combination where we weren't quite at our best and they were. That's how it ended up. I was certainly proud of the resiliency the group showed, especially later in the season when we had a lot of injuries and we had different lineups every night. We were dressing with 17 skaters and lineups of guys who hadn't played together before, and we found a way. The coaches deserve a lot of credit for being able to get that new group started in the playoffs. They really had no ramp-up time to find out which players were good together quickly, and they made some changes and mixed things up and found the right combo. So I guess that's my quick summary of the team.

Bowman gives his thoughts on negotiations for a new contract for Connor McDavid:

“Well, Connor's the best player in the league and the most important player in the league. He's our captain and our leader, so certainly, he's the number one priority.

“I also think that listening to Connor's take on things is warranted, considering he's earned the right for us to be respectful of his timing. We're certainly eager to meet with him whenever he wants, but we also understand that he just went through a very tough ending to the season. So timing-wise, Connor's going to drive that process. But there's no question he's a pivotal player on our team, and not just what he does on the ice, but his leadership. I've had a chance to work with him this year, and I've been just so impressed with things you guys probably don't see. He’s a great teammate, and he's incredibly important to our group. Whenever he's ready, we're gonna dive into that.”

Bowman on retooling the Oilers in the offseason for another deep run:

“I've always thought that win or lose, it's good to have some new players in your group. Because the players who weren't here with this group this season, they have a hunger to try to experience what it was like to get all the way to the Final. Unless they were on the Florida Panthers, they didn't go through that this year, so they didn't have the opportunity to experience what a run felt like. I think some newness is always good.

“We're going to have some changes. We're not going to bring the same group back. How many is tough to say right now. That's where the work begins, really. Yesterday, when we met with all of our players, I also had several conversations with other GMs. I've had some again this morning already. So that work will play out over the next 10 days to find out what other teams are looking to do and what players we want to change out.

“Looking at our team, the area with probably the least amount of change will be the defence. I think we have some players under contract who played very well. I really liked the way our defence played this season. I think they did a good job. They grew as the season went on. I thought they were really important to where we were getting to the Final, so I think probably won't be big changes there. I think up front, we need some different players, and we're going to look at everything because I think now is the time when you have to look at your forwards, your D and your goalies and see how we can get better. Sometimes, it's just an incremental difference where I wouldn't expect wholesale changes. We're not going to have nine or 10 new players, but I do think we are going to have some changes. We'll have to look at probably more likely the forwards and the goalies as the ones we’re going to evaluate the deepest.”

Knoblauch on making changes after experiencing success in his first two years:

“There are a lot of things that we want to address over the summer going into the next regular season, and special teams would be one of them. The penalty kill obviously was not nearly at that level. It was the previous year, and a lot of it had to do with some fortunate events and just luck being part of that. But there's a lot of player personnel on our penalty kill from the previous year to this year, and we had so much success that last year or two years ago that it'd be ridiculous to change it, no matter how many players were missing. We just felt that we were dialled in, and then through the year, we felt that it wasn't running as well because we had some players who weren't as good as the year before. So that's one area that we're looking at adjusting and how we're going to do it.

“We won't make any decisions today. We're certainly going to see what our roster is going to look like next year and what type of players would be on the penalty kill. There are other things that we want to look at system-wise, whether it's what we do in our neutral zone or our defensive zone coverage. I think there are always things that you can get a little bit better at. Obviously, we're very happy with the success that we've had, so we're not going to be changing a lot, but I think there are things that we can improve on a little bit.

Bowman on improving the roster and continuing to foster that winning environment:

“I think the goal is always to find a way to improve your team and sustain the good aspects of this past season. So I think we’ve got a lot of players who are in the prime of their careers. I think that bodes well for us. The guys who drove the ship for us this year, they're all going to be part of this going forward, so I think adding to it is something we want to do, and that's what we're going to spend our time on.

"I think if you look at our group and the group that's been here the last couple of years as a reference, we've had a lot of wins the last couple of seasons with this group. So there are a lot of things to be excited about. With the exception of maybe one or two individuals, everyone is in their prime, not in their late 30s. I mean, Corey Perry is the oldest guy. He had a fantastic season. But other than Corey, we don't have a team that can't be just as good in the next few years. So I think that bodes well for us. Adding to it is also important. We also want to bring some youth into our team. I think that will be something we want to do.

"I think there's a benefit in the youthful enthusiasm, having a couple of younger players. You don't want to have a young player just because he's young. But I think having some guys who can show a progression to their game over a season [is important]. They start at one level in October. By the time you get to March and April, their game has really improved. That's how you can show your team is getting better in the season, if you have a couple of players like that. Because usually the veteran players kind of maintain their level, but the older players, they're trying to maintain it. They don't want it to drop. But I think if we have a little bit of youth, that's important. So we're going to do our best to give opportunities to players, but given where we are, it's not like we're going to put a bunch of inexperienced guys in the lineup, because our objective is to win next year. We're not trying to take a different route. We want to be playing in the final next year.

Bowman on contract discussions with Trent Frederic and his expressed desire to play more centre:

“Yeah, I don't have anything to announce on Trent, but we're hopeful we can get something to the finish line there and to keep him in Edmonton.

"Getting to know him as a person has been a great experience because he's got a lot of attributes that I think are very important to a successful team. He's incredibly competitive, a great teammate, and a great team guy. He brings an element that I think you need, which is very competitive. He's fearless. He gives our team [an aspect of knowing] that nobody's going to push us around. But I think you touched on it there. It’s really impressive to have someone with his skill set who can play three different positions. We talked to him yesterday and he said he likes to play centre. He likes to play right wing, too or left. He almost prefers centre and right wing to left wing, and we used him this year mostly on the left. But I think that he's a young guy. He's going to be a free agent, and usually they're a little bit older than that. So he's got the prime years of his career ahead of him. If we can get that done, I think that flexibility to use him in the middle – Kris can talk about that as well, as that's more of a coaching thing – but I think having the versatility of a guy with his skillset, he's a pretty unique player in the league.

"There aren't a lot of guys that have that combination of his age, his experience, his competitiveness, size, and physicality, and I think when you add it all up, he could bring a lot to the team."

Bowman on his experience working with Kris Knoblauch this season:

“I thought Kris did an outstanding job this year. I really enjoyed working with him first and foremost. I think we have a great camaraderie and collaboration. I think we see the game similarly, not identically, but very similarly. I think it's not easy coach star players. From talking to my dad over the years, they can be some of the most challenging guys to coach because they have so much talent. But to be able to connect with them and get them, to be able to have them playing at their best, I think he did an outstanding job, and I think so. I think Kris is going to be the coach here for a while, and I enjoy working with him. We're lucky to have him.

Bowman on if Dallas has requested permission to speak to Glen Gulutzan about their vacant head coach position:

“I don't want to get into that right now.”

Bowman on selling the winning aspect to Connor McDavid instead of worrying about the dollars and cents when discussing a new contract:

“I don't know if you have to sell anything more than the other. There's no question Connor is all about winning. From the first time I met him and talked to him, he talked about how he wants to win. He just wants to win the Cup. That's all he cares about. He's not driven by statistics or points or records or money, and I think that's what you love about him. The objective is to demonstrate that we have the same goal from that perspective, like everyone here. That's why we do it. That's why I'm working, and that's why Kris is doing this.

“I've been very fortunate to be able to win, and there's no feeling like that when everything comes together as a group and you achieve the ultimate accomplishment. That's why we do this. It’s my job to connect with Connor that way and demonstrate that's what we're all trying to do. We all have the same objective, and I know how passionate he is about winning. It's what I love about him. He's not just a fantastic hockey player, but he's a great person, a great leader, and he's incredibly motivated to do whatever it takes.”

Bowman on improving goaltending and forwards during Free Agency:

“I don't want to single the goaltending out. I think it's something we'll look at and investigate to determine the best path moving forward for our team. It's really hard to predict where that's going to go. We have to have a lot of conversations about what other teams are looking to do, and eventually, we'll come up with the best approach for our team that we think will give us the best chance next year. And I'm not going to handicap what that's going to look like because it's. It's really too early to tell right now.

Bowman on staying in win-now mode while still making sure the team is well-equipped with prospects and up-and-coming players:

“I think it's a challenge, but I think what we've really tried to do is invest in our player development group and recruitment of free agent players. I think that's important. That's going to be a big focus for us moving forward.

"I think we had a great season this year. Credit to the staff, I think they did a tremendous job on the player development side led by Kalle Larson, and over in Europe, we have Tobias Salmelainen, who did a great job finding some really promising prospects that are going to come over and join our group. So it's true, we haven't had a lot of first and second-round draft picks. That's not the only way you can find players. You can find players later in the draft, and then you need to lean on your player development group, and you need to lean on your amateur scouts to find those players. Wherever you're picking, even if you're picking in the third or fourth round, you’ve got to try to find a player there.

"And then there are free agents. I think the one thing that’s good for us is we are an attractive location for free agents to come, because they look at our team and see a really good team with great players. Also, there's an opportunity for them, and I think that's something that we're going to continue to do. I think we have to be aggressive, though. We’re trying to win now. We're not necessarily trying to build our team to be good in five years. We certainly want to maintain that. We don't want to drop off. I think that's going to fall upon our player development and our recruitment of free agents over here."

Bowman on not being more aggressive at the Trade Deadline:

“It kind of cuts both ways. With the benefit of hindsight, you're going to make different changes all the time. But I think if you look at the information you had at the time and the options that you could have done, I was very happy with the way that went. I think Walman was a big addition to our team. I don't think our team would have been able to get where we did without Jake. So I think our staff did a good job. We really discussed that thoroughly. I'm trying to look forward, not look backwards. I think you have to look back to learn from it for next year, but I don't think that there's a lot of value in just second-guessing yourself.”

Knoblauch on his look-alike from this season and the experience of coming to Edmonton and being instantly recognizable:

“Outstanding. He was so handsome. Almost Brad Pitt (laughs).”

“My time in Edmonton's been phenomenal. And I'm not even just talking about my time here as head coach of the Oilers – also my time here as a junior hockey player and my five years at the University of Alberta. I've always enjoyed my time in Edmonton, and I didn't necessarily think I was ever going to come back. I just didn't think my path was going to come here. And then for this opportunity to come back to Edmonton to be a head coach of a franchise like the Oilers, it was phenomenal. During my time here, I've really enjoyed it. The excitement around the city, especially during the playoffs, was very enjoyable. Seeing all the flags, the excitement around the city.

"Hopefully, I'm coaching here for a long time. I love Edmonton. I love the organization. We have great players that are here, and working with Stan and everybody is ideal for a coach. There are a lot of things that can be difficult, but it's pretty ideal for me here, and hopefully, we can continue what we've done and build off of it because I don't think there'd be anything better than to win it all in a place like this.”

Bowman on improving goaltending this offseason as his highest priority:

“I was kind of expecting that question.

"I think goaltending is a strange part of the game. On the one hand, it's simultaneously the most important thing, but also it's the hardest thing to really understand because sometimes, the goaltenders who you think are the best aren't the best. I think just this playoff run is a perfect example. In three of the four rounds, we had better goaltending than our opponent. You look at Kuemper, Hill and Oettinger, our goalies were better than theirs in each of those series. I think that's the reason we went to the Final. And then, it flipped. So three of the four rounds we had the better goaltending. It's hard to explain how that happened or why it happened, and I'm not disputing that. In the Final, Bobrovsky was excellent. He made a lot of big saves when we had chances early in games, and we didn't get the lead and credit to him or our players needed to pick the corners better. Like, it's one of the two, right? But I can't really explain how in the first three rounds, not that either goaltending was elite, but ours was always better than our opponent’s, which I think is strange. You wouldn't think that if you just were to talk to the casual fan, but you just have to look at the way the series played out.

"So it's a fair question. I don't have an answer for you right now. We're going to examine not just our goalies, but our whole team, and see if there's a way to be better prepared next season.

Bowman on either getting an elite goalie or a different quality of netminder:

“Those are the two extremes, certainly. The other thing is the way the reality of the world is, it's not like you just go down to the corner and pick up an elite goalie. They're not just waiting for you to join your team. Right. So how many are there anyway in that group? And then even if you look at the guys I think were considered elite, some of them have had some tough playoffs. So there's no guarantee in the goaltending world is. It's just the. That's why I said it's simultaneously the most important. But it's also in some instances not why teams win. So, you know, if you have a strong enough team, then there have been teams that won the cup without elite goaltending and there have been teams that won because of their goalie. So it's a great discussion point and I think it's what the media and the fans love to talk about. I get it. I understand that. So we've got to take in that information and sift through it and come up with a plan, and that's what we're going to do over the next few weeks and months.