Rumor: Stan Bowman to Edmonton, Joel Quenneville to Columbus
The Edmonton Oilers played their last game on June 24, losing the decisive Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals. Many players are reportedly still feeling the effects of this loss. Just four days later, team management attended the draft in Las Vegas to select seven prospects, even trading for the 32nd spot in the first round.
Interestingly, on the night of June 24, Ken Holland was the GM of a team with a 50/50 chance of winning the Cup. By June 27, it was announced he wouldn’t be returning for the 2025-26 season. As a result, on June 28, the Oilers had no GM at their draft table, only Jeff Jackson (CEO who doesn’t want to be a full-time GM) and vacant deputy GM positions.
Despite this, the Oilers signed several players, including Connor Brown, Viktor Arvidsson, Troy Stecher, Josh Brown, Connor Carrick, Collin Delia, Corey Perry, Adam Henrique, Mattias Janmark, and Jeff Skinner.
The big question remains: When will the Oilers name their new GM? With significant off-season tasks ahead, Evander Kane, Leon Draisaitl, and possibly Connor McDavid are key focuses.
Seven potential candidates to replace Holland have been suggested by The Athletic/NY Times: Jason Botterill, Sean Burke, Mathieu Darche, Wayne Gretzky, Brad Holland, Mark Hunter, and Stan Bowman.
Stan Bowman, who drafted Kirby Dach in Chicago, is notable. On Monday, the NHL announced that Bowman, Joel Quenneville, and Al MacIsaac will be eligible to work in the NHL again starting July 10, as their suspensions will end. Bowman resigned from his roles with the Blackhawks after the Kyle Beach scandal, where allegations of assault by a Hawks employee were mishandled.
The Oilers have previously signed controversial figures such as Evander Kane, Ken Holland, and Jake Virtanen, making Stan Bowman a potential fit despite the controversy.
Stan Bowman has also been linked to the St. Louis Blues, though they currently have a President of Hockey Operations (Doug Armstrong), a Vice-President of Hockey Operations (Peter Chiarelli), and assistant GMs. Alex Steen is expected to be named GM in two years.
Mathieu Darche has once again been mentioned for a GM vacancy, this time potentially in Edmonton.
Joel Quenneville is rumored to be connected to the Columbus Blue Jackets, the only team still without a head coach. This comes a year after they hired Mike Babcock, who never coached a single game.
Additionally:
– Canada’s players wanted to show their support for Tajon Buchanan.
– Yesterday’s game was thrilling.
– Bryce Duke doesn’t decide his playing position.
– Lassiter and Toye will return against the Whitecaps.
– The Victor Wanyama captaincy saga has ended.
– Notice to interested parties.
