Oilers GM Makes Statement on Imminent Roster Moves
The Edmonton Oilers are coming off a second consecutive Stanley Cup Final loss, once again to the Florida Panthers.
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On Friday, during his last media availability of the season, Oilers' general manager Stan Bowman made it clear the roster will not stay intact heading into next season.
At the team's year-end press conference, Bowman confirmed the organization is ready to make changes, even if those won't completely change the face of the team.
'We're not going to bring the same group back,' Bowman said. 'How many is tough to say right now… so that work will play out over the next 10 days, to find out what other teams are looking to do, what players we want to change out.'
Rather than a full rebuild, Bowman indicated a more strategic retooling to try and keep chasing the ever-elusive Stanley Cup as the Oilers will be trying to reach the finals for the third straight year in 2026.
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'We're not going to have nine or ten new players, but I do think we are going to have some changes,' Bowman said. 'The area with the least amount of change is going to be our defence. Up front, we need some different players.'
Edmonton Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner (74) and center Connor McDavid (97) celebrate a win after defeating the Florida Panthers in Game 6 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final.Sergei Belski-Imagn Images
The focus will be on bolstering the forward depth and re-evaluating the goaltending, although nothing is set in stone yet.
'We'll have to look at, probably more likely, the forwards and the goalies are the ones we're going to evaluate the most,' Bowman said. '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.'
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The Oilers enter the offseason with just $11.9 million in cap space, the eighth-lowest figure across the NHL.
Related: P.K. Subban Urges Oilers' Connor McDavid to Weigh Next Move
Related: Connor McDavid Makes Clear Statement About Oilers After Stanley Cup Loss
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 21, 2025, where it first appeared.
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