The Edmonton Oilers hired Stan Bowman as general manager in late July 2024, after the heavy free-agent work was done. Acquisitions like Viktor Arvidsson, Jeff Skinner and Matt Savoie were the work of CEO Jeff Jackson and the rest of hockey ops earlier in July.
Since then, Bowman’s early roster work has been less explosive than Peter Chiarelli’s in 2015 (Cam Talbot, Griffin Reinhart, Andrej Sekera), or even Ken Holland’s first moves in 2019 (James Neal, Mike Smith) when each man arrived to lead the team.
The asset cost for Bowman’s additions is minute compared to both previous general managers and in some cases, the results are substantial compared to the price paid by Edmonton.
Here are the five best moves by Bowman since he arrived as Edmonton’s GM.
1. Acquiring Vasily Podkolzin from the Vancouver Canucks
In the aftermath of the St. Louis Blues’ offer sheet for winger Dylan Holloway, Bowman cast about in search of a suitable replacement.
As it happened, the Vancouver Canucks had enough depth to deal 2019 first-round selection Vasily Podkolzin for a fourth-round pick. That’s a low price for a player who currently ranks No. 6 in five-on-five ice time and No. 2 in five-on-five expected goals among team forwards. Podkolzin’s production has been a terrific story of Edmonton this season:
| Category | Total | Fwd Rank |
|---|---|---|
|
5-on-5 TOI |
12:21 |
6 |
|
5-on-5 Pts-60 |
1.77 |
4 |
|
5-on-5 Goal Pct |
53 |
9 |
|
5-on-5 X-Goal Pct |
61 |
2 |
|
TOI v elites |
4:07 |
5 |
|
DFF Pct |
58 |
5 |
Numbers via Natural Stat Trick and Puck IQ
He got the push on the Leon Draisaitl trio and is scoring well enough (2.24 points per 60) when playing on the feature line with the big man. The gap between goal share and expected goal share suggests a little bad luck, too, those two numbers could be closer by season’s end.
Podkolzin is on an inexpensive deal ($1 million) and has another year on his current contract. An organizational big fly by Bowman early in his time with the team.
2. Acquiring Ty Emberson from the San Jose Sharks
A bookend deal to Podkolzin after the Blues’ offer sheet to Philip Broberg, Emberson is another young player on a good contract who could be around for several years.
Since Nov. 23, he’s fifth in five-on-five ice time among Oilers defencemen and fourth (55 percent) in goal share in those minutes. On the penalty kill, he ranks No. 1 in TOI per game (two minutes) and is part of a wildly successful PK tandem with Mattias Ekholm.
His deployment on the PK sparked an immediate improvement for the team.
Long term, Emberson may prove to be more than Podkolzin. The cost for Emberson was higher (veteran blue Cody Ceci and a third-round selection) and Emberson’s contract ($950,000) runs out at the end of this season. Those two reasons are the only justification for having Emberson second, because his performance in Edmonton this season has been quality.
3. Signed free agent defenceman John Klingberg
It’s early days, and this move may not work out. However, Klingberg has shown great mobility in his two games and the underlying numbers (small sample alert) are strong.
Klingberg is averaging almost 18 minutes per game at five-on-five and owns a 59 percent Corsi, 61 percent Fenwick and 60 percent shot share at five-on-five. His expected goals through two games is 55 percent.
Klingberg is playing second-pairing minutes for the Oilers, and the Oilers got his name on a contract in time to see him for an entire month before the deadline.
This move works on all kinds of levels, including that there was no cost (beyond money and cap) to bring him in.
4. Acquired defenceman Paul Fischer and a 2028 third-round pick
The draft pick is a distant bell, but the player might help the Oilers organization as soon as this fall. The Blues offered Fischer and the pick for Edmonton not matching either of the offer sheets to Holloway and Broberg. The official transaction states St. Louis received “future considerations” but the timing of the acquisition is a strong indicator Edmonton acquired both assets for laying off a match.
Fischer is a lefty defender who plays for Notre Dame (Big Ten). The freshman just turned 20 and was part of the 2025 USA World Junior team this year. His skating is top-flight, that’s an area the Oilers have shown great interest in procuring over recent years. He’s more likely a shutdown type in pro, but can move the puck and has good wheels. Sometimes offensive output is shy for college defencemen due to a lack of power-play time as freshmen and sophomores.
Fischer could sign this spring, or hang around college for two more winters. The Oilers should offer an attractive pro landing spot for Fischer, since left-handed defencemen are rare among Bakersfield Condors this season.
5. Claimed Kasperi Kapanen on waivers
When the Oilers claimed Kapanen on waivers, the team was hoping to address several issues. Those problems included a lack of scoring at five-on-five, a pronounced need for added foot speed on the wing and a little more aggression on the forecheck.
Kapanen can bring all of those things and has done so during his stay with Edmonton. Inconsistency has been the issue for this player, but his time with the Oilers shows a fairly consistent record.
| Timeline | TOI-G | Pts-60 | Goal Pct | X-Goal Pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
First 15GP |
12:41 |
1.6 |
42 |
54 |
|
Last 14 GP |
9:52 |
1.74 |
47 |
58 |
|
Overall |
11:14 |
1.66 |
44 |
56 |
All numbers five-on-five, via Natural Stat Trick
Kapanen has been productive offensively, but his early success lit a fire under the other Edmonton wingers. His 1.66 points per 60 ranks No. 7 among the team’s wingers since his arrival.
Also true: Edmonton’s goal share with him off the ice (61 percent) tells us the team is having more success without him. Kapanen’s expected goal share (all numbers five-on-five) and the Oilers’ percentage when he’s off the ice is almost identical.
No matter his future, Kapanen’s pickup on waivers was a productive move by Bowman.
The future
Another waiver pickup (Alec Regula) has yet to play an NHL game with the team, but he could help down the stretch.
Bowman’s first big move of his inaugural season in Edmonton probably comes at the deadline.
The work done so far (including a recall of Noah Philp for a month-long audition before the deadline) sets up several possibilities for the organization.
Bowman’s first steps are minor compared to Chiarelli and Holland, but he has also avoided handing off valuable assets bubbling under the NHL roster.
At least two acquisitions (Podkolzin and Emberson) could be part of the organization for a long period.
At the very least, the assets Bowman inherited are playing in the system (notably Bakersfield) and are making progress. The system is so low on real NHL prospects, Bowman’s decision to keep the best players on the 50-man roster should pay dividends.
If these names above contribute to a Stanley Cup win, Bowman will get some of the credit for building a champion.
How much that eases any fan ire over his handling of the Blues’ offer sheets is open to question. The bottom line is that Bowman has done well in pure trade acquisitions, free agency and on the waiver wire.
His next trade is the one fans are waiting for.
(Photo of Vasily Podkolzin: Perry Nelson / Imagn Images)
