TALKING POINTS: Bowman looks ahead to the start of NHL Free Agency

General Manager & Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations Stan Bowman spoke to the media in Edmonton at Rogers Place following the conclusion of the 2025 NHL Draft on Saturday afternoon as the focus for the Oilers shifts to the start of NHL Free Agency on Tuesday, July 1.

The executive discussed contract negotiations for Connor McDavid and Evan Bouchard, the coaching staff, the needs and wants of the Oilers during Free Agency and more.

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

Bowman on the Oilers drafting Aidan Park in his hometown with the second-to-last pick of the 2025 NHL Draft on Saturday:

“Great story. I forgot he was from California. I didn't know if he'd be at the Draft, but when the crowd started cheering and he had a big smile on his face, that was great. I haven't had a chance to talk to him yet, but when we finish this, I'm gonna go call the prospects.”

Bowman on what his Amateur Scouting staff liked about Park coming off a good year in the USHL as he prepares to play in the NCAA for the University of Michigan:

“He's a great offensive player. He had a really big year in Green Bay, and he's been a big scorer his whole career going back to when he was at Shattuck (St. Mary’s). So I've been aware of him for a while, and I think he's one of those guys who, for whatever reason, was passed over. But now, you look at what he was able to do in a good league, and he's going to a good school next year. I think he'll get an opportunity. We think he's got a lot of game and offensive ability, and later in the draft, I think you're looking for guys with a lot of upside and he has it for sure.”

Bowman on if he has any updates on contract discussions with the Oilers coaching staff:

“No update yet. We have our staff that we've been reviewing over the last few days here and we're going to continue. I think we'll probably have that sorted out in the coming days, but no announcements on staff yet.”

Bowman on whether they need to renew the contracts of each coach:

“We do.”

Bowman on extending Kris Knoblauch as Head Coach as he enters the last year of his contract in 2025-26:

“I think Kris has done a fantastic job. I've said that a few times for sure. Want to get something done with him. I think the fact that he's got another year, we've got other stuff we're going to sort through here, but I do expect to get to that in time.”

Bowman on the return of Assistant Coach Paul Coffey next season:

“I don't want to handicap that stuff at this point. I think we're going to work that out over the next few days, and we'll probably have something to announce next week this time.

Bowman on contract negotiations with pending RFA defenceman Evan Bouchard:

“I had a meeting with [his agent Dave Gagner] earlier and we've begun negotiations, so I think that's kind of all I really want to say. Certainly, we think Bouch is a great player, had an excellent year, and he's a big part of this. We're going to work through it. Timing-wise, I don't know how long it's going to take. It's two sides, and we’re both trying to do what we can that makes the most sense. But I'm not going to be giving the day-by-day update on the negotiations. It's like anything else – a process that we go through – but we've had good discussions and we'll just keep working at it.

Bowman on whether Bouchard could sign a shorter-term deal rather than a long-term one:

“Again, we're open to a bunch of different ideas. I don't think you can go into a negotiation with just one position. It makes it much more difficult to get a deal done. I think there are two sides, and they both have things they want to accomplish. So yeah, I think you have to be willing to listen and have different ideas, and that's what we're doing at this point. It's tough to say where it will end up, but we're not going in with just one idea. We're open-minded.”

Bowman on his sense of the timeline when it comes to negotiating a new contract for captain Connor McDavid this offseason:

“We're very eager to do that whenever they're ready. Like I said when I did my last availability, I think Connor's earned the right to choose when he wants to get into the details of it, and we're ready right now. So he knows that, and he's right that the timing of July 1 is just the date when we can officially sign a new contract. But besides that, it's really just another date. It doesn't really change the process at all.

Bowman on his optimism over extending Connor McDavid:

“Well, I can't characterize it because I don't know yet. I don’t mean that in a bad way. We really haven't talked to him at all about his contract. It's really just been talking about our team and how we can improve and hit what he sees (as important) and that kind of stuff. So the conversations haven't even started as far as a contract.”

Bowman on his evaluation of goaltending heading into Free Agency:

“Well, the evaluation isn’t something you do just once or twice and then it's over with. When I say that, it’s not just looking at the goaltending we have, but also what's out there and options. So it's going to be a process that we're going to go through. I don't think we're going to come to one decision tomorrow or the next day. It's really about taking in the information, and eventually, we're going to settle on the thing that we think makes the most sense.”

Bowman on the trade of John Gibson to Detroit and evaluating goalie options that might be a fit for the Oilers:

“Part of the process is not only talking trades, not just for goaltenders, but that's what's happening the last several days. Since we last spoke (the media), that's what I've been doing is talking to each manager. I've talked to each one multiple times. Part of it was about the draft, but also players. We did make the one trade with Evander, so when we have those conversations, we talk about all the positions. It's not just a call about goaltending or call about a forward, so that's going to keep going on. I don't know if I have a specific answer for you, but that's what this will be about over the next few days and weeks. It's just evaluating how we can do something that's going to make our team better. When we find that sweet spot that we think makes sense and the price is right, or the player's the right player, then we'll move to be more clear.”

Bowman on whether he feels the Oilers goaltending needs to be upgraded:

“Part of the evaluation is the guys that we have, and if it makes the most sense to keep this group, that's certainly a possibility. So I don't know. We're not at the point where we're saying we're definitely bringing in new goalies.”

Bowman on whether his priority is on bringing in a top-six forward in Free Agency after signing or trading more players fit for a bottom-six role:

“It's true, we did. I think it was a little bit of a different year that way, if you look at it. This is why sometimes things don't always play out the way you planned. A year ago at this time, there was an idea of what the second line would look like. This year, Leon led the league in goals when he had probably two wingers for most of the year who you probably didn’t expect. He had a bunch of different wingers actually, and it still led to him leading the league in goals. So sometimes, the plans you have in July are not the ones that turn out to work. So I think we have to be open-minded about what that could look like.

“Getting an established offensive player that can do it would be a great idea. The hardest part in all this is just the fit, because sometimes players have great years elsewhere and for whatever reason, it just doesn't gel with your group. That's kind of what happened this past season. I think there were hopes for Skinner and Arvidsson to be those guys, and they've had really good careers. Just for whatever reason, it didn't come together here with the way certain players play, or the style that they play might not mesh. You're never going to know that until you give it a chance, so that's always a challenge when you look at a player who's got good stats elsewhere and you assume they'll do that here. Maybe they won't.

“Those are all things that you try to mitigate as much as you can by planning and doing a deep dive. But when it comes down to it, you never know until they get into Training Camp and you see how they combine with your group.

Bowman on the timeline for a potential trade of Viktor Arvidsson:

“There's no timeline with that. There's really no deadline for that. I had a good chat with Arvy at the end of the year, and it didn't work out the way he wanted and for us either. So we've been talking to some teams. We'll see where that goes. For right now, he's here, but if I think we can find a spot for him, we'd be willing to do that.”

Bowman on negotiations with other unrestricted free agents like Connor Brown, Corey Perry, John Klingberg and Kasperi Kapanen:

“We've been talking with all those guys. I think part of it is seeing if we can get some of those guys signed before July 1st. It's always a two-way street. It's a combination of what we're able to offer them and what works for them. Some of them may want to see what else they can get, but they could still return. I think the big message is we're going to do what we can that makes the most sense for us to gain some flexibility. But also, those guys had great years. If we can keep them here, we'd like to.

Bowman on the questions McDavid is asking him in negotiations:

“Just discussions about our team. He's just really driven to win. We’ve came close now two years in a row, so when you get that close, you want to try to just that extra little bit to win an extra game or two next year. It’s not like we need an overhaul of our team, and we're very close to being where we want to be, but we're not quite there. So, it’s about finding the incremental small improvements from last year to the next, and you want to try to build on the good things and improve on things you want to try to address, whether it's with tactics or with different players. I think those are options.

“You’d hope there's some growth from within. I think Matt Savoie is probably poised to take a big step next year. We're hoping Noah Philp could be a player for us in a depth role, and we’re excited for David Tomasek to come over. He's been a leading scorer in Europe for two years in a row. I think he's got a lot of game. He's not familiar to the fans or maybe to you guys yet, but he brings a unique skillset as a big righty, plays center and plays wing. I think he's going to give us something that we could really use. He's not a young player, but he's a new player to the NHL, so I think having some new faces in the organization is going to be a nice option as well.

Bowman on if a huge splash in Free Agency isn’t realistic:

“You never want to rule anything out, but I think if you set that as the objective, then sometimes you're chasing something that doesn't ultimately make sense. So we're not opposed to that. We're going to do our work. We've been planning with our group internally, and once we get to July 1, we can officially talk to free agents. We're going to do that, certainly, but it's all a function of how much cap space you have, what the term on the deal is and all those things. But I’m not opposed to bringing in a big-name player. I would say we're not looking at it like we have to do that. You have to sort of take it as it comes and see what makes the most sense.”

Bowman on the impact of Noah Dobson’s contract with Montreal (8 years x 9.5M AAV) on discussions with Evan Bouchard:

“I think we have a pretty good idea on Bouchard within a fairly tight range. (Dobson) It is the most recently signed defence contract, so there are some relevant factors. They're a little bit different too, but I think that that's all part of it. We've had those conversations. Like I said with Bouch, we know the general range and we're still going to try to get to the finish line with them, but that's what the negotiations are for. However, it's not as if we have no idea what his value is. I think it's pretty close.”

Bowman on his philosophy when it comes to No Movement Clauses (NMCs):

“Well, it's about balancing the ability to get a player to commit to you. I think it's a competitive environment when you get to unrestricted free agency, so I think sometimes those clauses get a lot of attention. But also, I think certainly it's easier if you don't have them. You have to have a good relationship with your player, and at the end of the day, if a player is not in a role where he really sees himself and likes it, then typically, they want to find another spot anyway. So I think having more flexibility is always better. But when you're negotiating with free agents, that's one of the points you can negotiate on. And certainly, if you're going to give it out, you hope not to give it up for the duration of the deal. Usually, if you're signing a long-term deal, the first couple of years they're going to be there. That's going to be something you're going to have to give more in the tail end. You can get a little more flexibility.

Bowman on what he liked about Trent Frederic to commit to him long term:

“I thought Freddy was really good in a lot of areas that we were looking for. I know we didn't get a chance to see everything because it took him a while to get healthy, and he was still battling to try to get back to feeling like himself. But there are a couple of factors.

Number one, his age, so he's very young. He just turned 27. As a free agent, the biggest thing about Freddy that's appealing I would say is his style of play. It’s something that's very difficult to find in the market, both in trade and in free agency. So we looked at when we decided to sign him. We really like the attributes that he has. So we did this internal exercise where we said we can try to sign him, but let's look at it the other way. Let's say we don't sign him, we don't want to, or we can't get a deal done, then who are we going to get that does what he does? With his size and his flexibility to play wing and center, he's still been able to score, even though he's got that intimidation factor. And also, the fact that he's one of those guys who gives your team some comfort knowing that nobody's going to take advantage of them.

"You can be a tough guy, but you have to have it inside you to make the other team know that you're not going to get taken advantage of. It's really more of a disposition as a player, and it's knowing that you're going to let them know that they can't do what they want to do because they're going to have to go through you. He just has that natural ability. Nobody needs to whisper in his ear and tell him to make sure guys don't take advantage of. That's what makes him who he is. It’s really hard to find those guys. So, when you get a chance to spend some time with him and realize how popular he was with our group and how much he really wants to be here in Edmonton for a long time, it makes us feel really good about what he can do. I think his best years are ahead of him here. He's coming into the prime of his career.

"Obviously, he'll be fully healthy for Training Camp. I talked to Kris, and even Freddy said he likes to play center, so I think we'll try him there for a bit. I don't know if he'll play there exclusively, but just having that option for him to play there. He actually likes right wing a little bit more than left wing or center, so I think we have the ability to move him up the lineup on the right side or left side. I guess I keep coming back to if we decided to pass on him, there's no one else around that's available right now. Teams that have guys that are similar, they're just not available for trade, so I think that's a big part of why we wanted him to be here.

Bowman on what went into the decision to trade Evander Kane to Vancouver, who has physical attributes like Frederic:

“You’re right. Evander's been that player really his whole career. I think the biggest difference there is just the age. Evander is older, but he played very admirably in the playoffs. I’ve got to give him a lot of credit. I enjoyed getting to know him. He's a competitive guy, and I think really it just came down to cap flexibility more than anything. Just the fact that Frederic was quite a bit younger gives this more of a longer runway. But I think that element was something that was important in the playoffs for us to get us where we did, and we think it's important going forward.”

Bowman on how compromised Mattias Ekholm was during the 2025 playoffs because of injury:

“He was totally healthy by the time he came back. I think the biggest thing was that he missed a lot of time. If anything, it was hard for him to jump into basically the highest level. You're jumping into the Stanley Cup Final when you haven't played in a couple of months. So I thought he did his best. He was healthy, but if anything, he just wasn't really as crisp or as sharp because he hadn't played a lot, and everyone else had been playing every other day for two months.”

Bowman on his confidence in the Oilers blueline moving forward:

“I thought our defence played great in the playoffs. I really was excited about that group. I think even if you look into up until the playoffs, Emberson had a really good season and really established himself as an NHL player, and I expect him to build on that. I think we had a good meeting with Ty at the end of the year, and I think he feels more confident now than he did walking in last year. He knows he's an NHL player and certainly wants to be a playoff player, too, but I think he's ready to take that step. So I think we're going to see a progression from him. He's still not even 25 yet. He's got more to his game, and I think Walman made a real big difference to us. I think we all saw Kulak take a step forward. I thought he played really well for us all year long, so I think our defence had a great season and I expect them to be a strength of our team next year.

Bowman on his interest in extending defenceman like Kulak, Walman and Ekholm:

“We're probably going to get to those types of conversations this summer after we get through the next couple of weeks. But I'm happy with all three of them. I think they all showed value to us, in particular Kulak and Walman being able to play both sides, which is nice. You don't know how your D is going to look down the road, so that flexibility is good. And Ekholm's been a rock here for a long time. I think up until he got hurt, he was probably our best defenceman, so all three of those guys would be great. We'll get to that a bit later, though.”