Stan Bowman made his signature deal in August of 2024. We didn’t know it at the time, as (in typical Oilers fashion) the sky was falling due to the St. Louis Blues offer sheets. Please read this.
Bowman did not begin the transition away from the Nuge and Zach Hyman as foundation pieces, the acquisition of Matt Savoie by Jeff Jackson represents the genesis. However, the Podkolzin trade was Bowman’s first attempt to find a young player who could fill one of the 12 feature roster spots.
In case you don’t know, the 12 spots are: No. 1 line, No. 2 line, No. 3 center, the No. 1 pairing, the No. 2 pairing and the starting goalie.
Bowman has been around for two full seasons now, and Podkolzin remains his only foundation piece age 25 or under. The Oilers feature players, to my eye are Connor McDavid, Leon Draisiatl, Zach Hyman, Matt Savoie, Vasily Podkolzin, blank spot for No. 2 right wing, Jason Dickinson, Mattias Ekholm, Evan Bouchard, Jake Walman, Connor Murphy and Frederik Andersen. Your mileage may vary.
That second line RW job should go to Ike Howard, that’s the play this fall. Kasperi Kapanen has the job right now, and I suspect will hold it for much of the season under new coach Mike Babcock. I could be wrong, but that’s my take.
Bowman and Kris Knoblauch brought Savoie along slowly last year, using him for depth minutes and the penalty kill. I don’t think that approach will work for Howard. He isn’t ever going to be that kind of player. He has to be a first-shot scorer and he has to be on a skill line. I think it would be a mistake to run him without a skill center.
You could play him with Nuge on a soft minutes third line, but the attention to quality of competition would have to be exceptional.
Howard is Bowman’s hire. NHL general managers have extreme belief in their own hand picked players. Babcock may see the world differently. It is one of the most fascinating stories we will follow this coming season.
Why Oilers winger Max Jones could finally seize an NHL role this season
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7484364/2026/08/02/oilers-max-jones-winger-babcock-roster/
He could, but highly unlikely.
Probable roster:
Nuge – McDavid – Hyman
Podz – Drai – Kapanen
Howard – Dickenson – Savoie
Joseph – Frederic -Dach
Janmark
This may be how the season starts, given the short pre-season. The line-up will look muck different in April.
2 injuries and Jones is on the rroster, unless there is a surprise PTO or Roslovic-type deal.
I also wonder who that could be. Over the past 3 seasons we’ve seen Kane, Perry, Klingberg and Rolslovic added as extreme value late season additions.
The Babcock add has made this upcoming season even more interesting than previous summers.
So back to Max Jones, I am saying there is a chance.
I’ll just say it sure was a redeeming factor getting Max Jones included in that deal for Trent Frederic from Boston. It would be wonderful if Freddy could play 4c but it’s highly unlikely just as it’s highly unlikely Ike Howard will play in the bottom six.
Every deal Bowman gets a player that is big-skilled as an add on. Jones-Poulin-Dach. One of these times he’s going to hit a Maroon or two. Bowman operates differently than Holland. Stan likes to have cap room for a full squad as well as calling up others that he feels deserve an opportunity. If you’re an Oiler prospect you have to be motivated knowing if you play well you’ll see the NHL. I would have Jones swapping out with another player half the time. We need a bottom six that can withstand any line in the league at certain times.
Not sure what the down votes are for, this isn’t what I would choose, this is what I think the coach will choose to run to start the season, given the short preparation window and the known successes the top 6 has had together. Coaches like certainty.
Howard’s position will be in flux, but this gives him a similar slot that Savoie had to start last season and gives him the ability to move up, as his results dictate. Similarly, Dickenson’s role will be to hard match, possibly with Nuge or Joseph or Savoie as his wingers in those deployments.
As for Frederic, last season he posted a 57.1 face off percentage, albeit in a small sample size. His career FO percentage is 46.4%.
Dach had a 36.6%, Joseph was at 24% (and is not a center, Janmark 36.8 (and is sub-40% over his career). Samanski could very well finish the season as the 4C. He had a 48.2% FO percentage.
In the end who knows? Michael McLeod could be signed mid-Season out of the KHL as the 4C and maybe Max Jones finishes the season at 4 LW.
Howard isn’t playing with the tough match center.
Let’s see, shall we?
The idea is that Dickenson will not get every single hard match, maybe he gets the soft minutes. Babcock talked about possession, rather than defending as being the best tactic.
I didn’t down vote you, but have some thoughts on your lineup.
First, I don’t see the logic of having Dickenson fend off the other team’s best with two undersized, unproven wingers who’s best assets are their scoring ability. I doubt a veteran coach wants all the youth on one line either.
At the same time, MB will be looking at Nuge with fresh eyes, and I’m skeptical that will land him on the top line. Much more likely imo he ends up as 3LW, or possibly sliding over to 3C if the McDrai verbal holds any water.
TF is not a center and hasn’t really played center. There was talk of him playing center when we first acquired him, but I think last season has put that idea on the backburner. Maybe SB pressures babcock to make that move, but I don’t see it happening on merit unless he is greatly improved this year. Our 4C is most likely Samanski, or possibly Dickenson if Nuge is our 3C and Drai stays on the second line (though I don’t think that’s too likely).
None of us really know what Babcock’s thinking, especially after several years out of the coaching gig. I do think his major tasks are going to be figuring out how and when to use McDrai together and whether Dickenson is going to be used to center a hard-matched checking line, and that will have repercussions up and down the lineup.
I would be surprised if Jones or Joseph make the team over Samanski. That said, maybe the idea of adding Joseph was to see if he can keep up with the big boys on Dickenson’s line, since he also rates well defensively while being zero threat to score.
To be perfectly clear, this isn’t how I would set-up the lines. This is what I expect Babcock will do.
I understand. In each point I referenced why I don’t think Babcock would make the roster adjustments you suggested.
I think Joseph is close to a lock. This guy does everything Janmark does but is better and faster and hits more and a more recent history of some offence, two 30 point seasons. He also had his best seasons under DJ Smith – great 2-way play and PK.
I think, saving injuries, it should be Jones and Janmark out but I think its trending towards Jones and Samanski and I think that is a mistake vis-a-vis Samanski (should be Jones and Janmark).
Samanski is still all up arrows and I don’t think an AHL assignment will help him develop and keep that momentum after the Olympics, NHL playoffs and World Championships.
Makes sense, as LT shared in his article the way the team is deployed both players and tactics will be interesting with possibility of differences between GM and Coach. Looking forward to the season.
I would hope not.
People will downvote for many reasons: Don’t agree, maybe agree but don’t like, don’t like you, a bot, etc., etc. – one should pay zero attention to the votes ever.
I 100% understand everything you say, and it’s reasonable. I could push back on various points such as (1) rolling it back with Nuge (and Hyman) on the first line, (2) having Howard with Dickinson (this is one I WILL push back on, (3) noting Roslovic as “late season” (just a nit, obviously).
I would also do my think on this which is always pushing back against equating face-off ability with the ability to play center. Of course, always good to win draws but being good on faceofffs does not mean one can play center and being bad on face-offs doesn’t mean one can’t be a good center – for me.
Anyways, good post – I could have lots of discussion with you on this.
Agree with most of this (although I don’t see that third line – I sure hope not).
I agree that Jones is unlikely on the team to start the season.
Jones played much better in the NHL than AHL last year – he was meh in the AHL, probably didn’t earn the recall, but was a contributor.
He’s in tough though, with 3 goalies on the roster meaning only 13F, only 3 of the following 5 can be on the team (subject an IR injury saving a roster spot): Janmark/Jones/Joseph/Samanski/Howard
I think Joseph is close to a lock – should make Janmark expendable given they have a similar skill-set but who knows.
Samanski should be a lock but all the rumblings likely have him starting in Bako – a disservice to his development last season.
Tough to see Jones not the other cut.
Janmark could be the fourth line center with Joseph & Jones as his wingers.
Could be but I certainly hope not.
Janmark is a winger and an aging winger coming off shoulder surgery.
Samanski is a center on the rise.
I like Jones. Definitely saw him good last year. Smart teams don’t pay Frederics. They sign two or four jones for one or two roster spots.
Yes. Paying a Podkolzin or a Savoie, and that will come, has value. The Frederic and even Dickinson deals (and I know the center position was silly this summer) is a remnant of old timey thinking.
One thing that has stuck out to me is that both Dickenson and Joseph were both rated low on offense but high on defense. I think it was the writers at ON that had both of their overall contributions listed as equal to a “first line player”. It makes me wonder if there isn’t more of an analytics bent to acquiring these guys than we think. If they think outscoring through defense is undervalued compared to outscoring theough offense, then it makes sense there’d be the opportunity to find some value contracts there.
Unfortunately, Dickenson is not on a value contract, but as you mention, a lot of that likely has to do with the prices paid this offseason.
I can’t view the roster without Dickinson.
Arguments both ways. When you score so little, diminishing returns on good defense to try to out score opponents.
Main argument is that it frees up 29 and 97.
i don’t have time, is anyone able to oulll the 5v5 scoring rates per sixty for 28 and 97 before and after Dickinson?
I think Drai missed most of the post-Dickinson time but, yes, there is value in taking on tough minutes opening up clean air for the top two line – something Knob had no interest in working towards.
There is also value in the PK work, value in the ability to get shot up twice a game with a broken ankle int he playoffs and play well and impact, etc., etc.
Old Timey Thinking is not necessarily bad thinking.
Dickenson’s contract isn’t bad at all in terms of the cap. I think both he and Murphy left some money on the table. Only 2 seasons of full trade protection which can be overcome anyway
I agree with what you said about defense. Adding players that like defense that have established that they are good at it, to a team that doesn’t want to play defense, and are pretty cheap because they don’t have offense to make them expensive, seems pretty calculated to me
I haven’t seen SB make a move that made no sense, and we have seen plenty of those. Maybe he didn’t read the players right that have struggled, but that remains to be seen
The league is shifting the Frederic contract as well as others being signed this summer makes me believe that all the G.M’s know that the Cap is going to increase more than most of us are being told.
Agent Allan Walsh said a few days ago that the cap will be rising much higher than the league has indicated.
Bill Daly said late last week that the cap is still lagging behind revenues and their formula – they are still catching up from the flat cap – its going to be material rises year after year for a while.
It doesn’t take an insider to figure that one all by myself. It’s probably not a well kept secret by Bettman letting the owners know they and the players are in for a truckload of money in the next decade. I see 2-4 more expansion teams in the next 10 years and if they can someway get Europe involved the printing press will be going nonstop.
What? How can write about the 12 foundational roster spots and be unhappy with Dickinson signing. Or, you view Dickinson as a fourth line center?
I have two issues. One, he doesn’t deliver much offense/ That’s fine, and it makes little difference IF they use him in a pure shutdown/PK role. They didn’t really do that to my eye. I suspect the Glimmer Twins just wanted to play the hits, and that may change (and Dickinson may have incresaed value) if that holds.
Either way, the AAV and term for a player Dickinson’s age is a risk that fundamentally lowers the roster ceiling.
Dickinson turned 31 a year ago. I keep thinking he’s older but he’s not and he should have 3-4 solid years left.
Sorry, he turned 31 a month ago, not a year ago.
What was the better alternative for the current season?
I understand your point, but we are trying to win Stanley this season. Longer term the one year too long term and the 500k too much AVG is not egregious and without our veteran hard match 3rd line Center we don’t have path to Stanley this season.
I agree, looked it up and 5×4 is on the high side but I still make the signing if the GM.
The problem with that is very often those guys are 4th liners that can’t play when the chips are down usually. The panthers thugs are largely puck optional, the Canes’ aren’t usually that good
Frederic had a higher established level. If even the Canes want 3 toughs analytics teams must see some value in that. Frederic was to replace Kane’s physicality. At 28 I think he will get back to his game, especially under a proper NHL hockey coach
It hasn’t worked out yet, maybe won’t. I don’t agree with LT’s comment to you, it seems not old timey to look for a physical player that was a good enough hockey player to be a top 9 on a good team (Boston). That seems like they value ability as well, and they are consistent in traits, like they want players that can skate and have some jam preferably. That was Frederic before injury and Knoblauch
Dickinson is a good signing, Frederic is not.
The question to me is did it make sense at the time? To me it did, my only quibble was that he was injured with something that can be slow to heal fully, so he didn’t get someone completely healthy to be sure to help for playoffs. Risky, but I think long term thinking was in play
The is no debating it, Trent Frederic was terrible last season – end stop.
He didn’t produce like at all and he couldn’t skate well enough to really be as engaged as he needed to be, not only throwing hits but battling, etc.
Its also not debatable that he did play better later in the season (overall, the production never really came) and that linked up with his skating recovering back closer to normal levels.
Some will discount the ankle completely and call it an excuse but facts are facts and the facts are that he played for 2 months on a bad high ankle sprain and then had a shot 3-month off-season where he wasn’t able to hockey train but only rehab the ankle and was clearly not near his top mobility. Facts are also that his skating did recover later in the season and he’s not had a full 5-month off season, with a healthy ankle, where he can hockey train and get ready for the season.
Now, I don’t expect a recovery to the 18G/40P 3rd liner we saw in Boston but I do expect his to start on a 4th line with Dack, bang and crash and contribute and work his way back up to a 3LW.
Lots of time for him to provide value for that contract – $3.85MM, while way above his level of play last year, doesn’t buy much these days and I think Frederic can be move that value from it.
Full re-set.
Lets Go!
Sometimes it takes a year for a player to get settled in. This is the first time Frederic has been traded add in some nagging injuries the last year and a bit. I think with the cap going up that Frederic won’t be so much a whipping boy this year. I think if the scrutiny is toned down a bit Frederic will find his game and become a fan favourite kinda like Connor Brown.
Howard and Savoie are trade bait.
And not great trade bait.
As Woodguy beautifully and succinctly once said – the NHL is a salary cap efficiency contest.
Very rare that a team near or at the salary cap wins a trade involving any of their young, active (i.e. no longer a prospect outside of the NHL) players with upside.
Mason McTavish was just traded for TWO first round picks, one of whom is expected to make the team in a top 6 role out of camp.
McTavish had a $7 million cap hit while the new kid on the block will be on an ELC for 3 seasons.
Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.
Teams looking to take the next step to contending status often add 18 year old d-men to their roster….
The Ducks made the McTavish trade out of cap necessity. They did well with the return but their roster is inferior to last season, their defence is abysmal and they need to move out some cap in order to sign a top player to a massive contract, largely due to effing up RFA negotiations earlier in the summer.
First round picks are guaranteed success.
Keep plugging away, maybe one of these days you’ll be correct.
I can’t see Howard having success on his off side. Forcing him to play off his backhand in the D zone is not setting him up for success
Oiler fans often focus on the players and getting different ones as the solution. The team now has all new players but the core older guys. I see the balance as being better, but to me the biggest difference is going to be the coaches
Was it Connor that recently said Knob was trying to find his identity as an NHL coach? The core players know what’s working and what isn’t, especially being vets now. We heard the comments and they clearly didn’t appreciate what was happening
The team hasn’t had an experienced, not burnt out, not past it coach since McLelland. But at that time they weren’t ready to play his system, or any system probably, and made the playoffs once. Since then they have had 3 season with multiple coaches
Woody seemed ok, but when Vince D talked about the change when Coffey came in and that Woody and Manson were preaching glass and out, I was surprised, and out on Woody. I tried to get on board with Knob but couldn’t. You could see the lack of experience and personality mismatch with the team, and apparently some of the coaches and management
My point being the biggest difference will be a more structured and disciplined style. One that suits the DNA of the Oilers franchise (most teams seem to develop an enduring DNA over time it seems), and it’s best players. Skating, high pressure in all zones, constant effort, own the puck, attack. If the coaches can pull it off. The goalies will benefit, the GA and extended D zone time will be better I think
Hopefully not a constant stream of unmarked players around the net anymore, back door plays and too much time to make plays. I really hope the O zone plan is actually a specific plan and they do it. I think everyone knowing what the plan is and having tactics to set up better scoring chances will help everyone. Playing more to the net and middle ice. Like learning to play an instrument properly, that will let the virtuosos really roll and not leave them feeling they have to break every game open, hopefully improve their goal shares
They still could use a RS C that can play 2C to really get them there. I am sure the management are aware of the need, but they don’t grow on trees. Any RS C good enough would be better. We’ll see
Good post. Do you see Babcock getting certain D-men to be part of the play more often 3 on 2’s sneaking in late etc? I know Mike plays a structured game from what I remember his skilled D were in the photo for a lot of goals.
I don’t know. What I do know is how they were attacking before wasn’t nearly effective enough given the talent. Relying on too much coming from 3 guys
It will be interesting to see how the team responds to Babcock. It really felt like the team regressed on a lot of the fundamentals as each season wore on. I generally see coaches as a thing where they just have to be “good enough” (i e. very few are elite enough to make a huge difference year over year), but I do think KK lost the plot and was trying to reinvent the wheel and failed spectacularly with many of their strategies/systems. This is one of the few cases I can think of where the issue with the coach wasn’t just “he lost the room”, but rather there were tangible errors that smart hockey people could point to that were leading to constant turnovers and unnecessarily supressed offense. That, and overplaying the star players with a compressed schedule meant we had no gas in the tank when we needed it.
Short version – I am actually pretty optimistic that an established coach can make a number of real improvements compared to last year, just based on getting the team back to playing more fundamentally sound hockey.
For sure. I also think it might have a positive effect on team morale. They can be moody and quiet when frustrated, and having a coach that has a clear vision and a live wire assistant should improve things. People feel better when they succeed working toward goals. In this case playing better as a team and hopefully winning more games. It’s not a grind if you are also having some fun along the way
Winning is always fun especially with Connor-Leon getting interviewed so much. I think Mike will deflect the blame off of players, nothing against K.K but he was inexperienced when it came to the blame game.
As we’ve often heard/seen, teams take on the personality of their coaches.
Perhaps Babs has the swagger to really unlock this team. That’s what I’m hoping for, anyways.
Swagger is so 2010s….. we use “gravitas” now…..
For me, one of this teams biggest issues has been accountability, the inmates running the asylum of you will. Coaches seemingly been walking on eggshells to appease Connor and Drai and three other high end talent and there being no consequences for taking way too long off shifts and then dogging it back to the bench for a GA or player A getting benched and pressboxed for making a bad play and then Nurse and Bouch seem to get away with murder with no pushback. Also, three supporting cast getting cold on the bench with no structure for then to get into the game because the big boys dictate the ice time.
I sincerely hope that Babcock straightens most of that out and the wealth of ice time and being held accountable is more evenly distributed.
In my mind Bowman’s signature, roster reshaping, deal is Jarry. It didnt work out.
Almost everything else he’s done so far was more along the line of “around the margins”. Pods was an around the margins trade that worked out spectacularly and now he’s legitimately a core player.
Here’s hoping if Bowman goes for a reshape the roster move at 2RW that it’s more Podz and less Jarry.
I would suggest his signature roster reshaping deal is Nurse.
We talk about having to improve in the margins without early draft picks – the GM aqquires a fairly recent top 10 pick, the org develops him in the NHL, they re-sign him for a massive value 3-year contract, the player pops and they re-acquire the trade cost while dumping Kane’s contract – the pick used to draft Lewandawski – arrows up.
$2.95MM X 3.
That trade and re-sign has reshaped the roster as much as anything else.
Babcock strongly prefers handedness, especially on defense. This is almost no chance that Howard plays on the right side, and only a small chance that Savoie plays on the left side.
Podkolzin McDavid Savoie
Howard Draisaitl Kapenen/XXX
Nugent-Hopkins Samanski Hyman
Janmark/YYY Dickenson Joseph/ZZZ
It is why Hutson will have a better chance than people expect.
My opinion on Hutsons chances are based on watching him play hockey versus the competition, not based on the way he shoots.
Not a bad looking lineup if Samanski can hold
I score one trade win, from the five historical signature deals listed above.
We need more quality NHL players, cheering for Ike Howard to become one of the twelve foundation pieces this season.
David Perron was a heck of a player. Nice acquisition MacT
I agree, 100% that job, or at least the opportunity to grab that job, should go to Howard starting in camp. Kasperi Kapanen did a very good, actually, great job last year as 2RW, the line was great in both the regular season and playoffs but I think we all know he’s not a locked in top 6 winger and can help this team in a middle six/3rd line role more than Howard can. This is the job Howard was acquired for and, since acquisition, he has a substantial development year, crushed the AHL offensively as a 21 year old and developed in all the areas that org asked him to. He’s earned the chance.
I’m not convinced that this happens right away, I really have no sense of what Babcock plans for Howard at this point.
Howard worked his ass off in Bako, he developed big time in all the right areas: stopping on pucks, battle on the defensive zone boards to get the puck up and out, commitment to back-track, assessing risk with the puck at the offensive blue and making the safe play when warranted, etc., etc.
I would suggest he’ll get in more shooting lanes in October than Roslovic did all season….
At the same time, this is a dynamic offensive player who will help the team by complimenting in the top six and scoring goals and creating offence. He excels at finding soft areas and, well, Leon Draisaitl excels at finding guys in soft areas, doesn’t need much of a lane to get them the puck – use it.
I agree to an extent. I can get on board with Howard playing on a Nuge-centered 3rd line but I don’t think it has to be such a”soft minutes”. The key is he’s NOT with Dickinson on a hard minutes line, matched to shut down. A 2-way 3rd line with Nuge is a solid second option if Babcock won’t put him in the top 6, for me.
Do you really think Nuge will centre the third line?
We can only hope that Howard is a dynamic offensive player. It’s fine and dandy he can pull it off in the AHL, but the NHL is a different animal. If Howard scores as many goals as Roslovic did last season I would be amazed.
Do I think Nuge will center the third line? No, I do not. I expressed an opinion of a set-up of where I would be comfortable with Howard on the third line.
It was all fine and dandy when Savoie produced in the AHL and the NHL was a different animal, then he went and produced in the NHL when played with talent. That statement applies to ever single player that has yet to do so in the NHL.
This is an acknowledgement of the players’s pedigree combined with his development in his first year pro and and an informed opinion on usage at the next level!
Of note, Howard was a more impactful offensive player in the AHL than Savoie, at similar age (although Howard had more offensive help, I acknowledge that).
Absolutely and I hope Howard can take the same step to the NHL as Savoie. I just think Savoie is the more complete player which is part of the reason he was got the extended look.
Savoie’s first ELC year and pro year was spent in the AHL helping develop that complete game…… just like Howard this past year.
Now, is Howard at Savoie’s level of 2-way play? No, of course not, however, he’s come a long ways and he’s a more dynamic offensive player (at least at the AHL level, I understand there is step to take here).
It’s yet to be proven Howard is truly a more dynamic offensive player.
I said was a more dynamic player at the AHL level.
He very well may not be at the NHL level, but he very well may be – I look forward to him getting the opportunity to show us what he can do and be set up to succeed in the position they acquired him for. He’s done everything asked of him in his first year in the org and killed it in the AHL – time to provide the earned opportunity.
It’s in Babcock hands we all seen Broberg blocked and what happened as a result. These players have sacrificed their life’s they have a small window to make money especially if injuries in the AHL keep piling up. As you said on more than one occasion Howard did what was asked from him in the AHL and in spades. This type of quality strikes me as a player Babcock will try to mold into a consistent 2 way scorer. Then again Babcock may not like the Kid and fancy other players instead resulting in Howard getting the shaft.
I really have no idea how Babcock will handle Howard or even his initial plans for him – I have zero sense.
Bowman’s signature deal is the Tristan Jarry trade, because that trade is on the Oiler’s critical path. It impacts whether McDavid stays or goes, and whether the Oilers win or not, much more than the minor Podkolzin trade, which was just a reaction to not matching the offer sheets.
Clearly it is the Nurse trade.
The Podz trade was just a minor deal that blossomed nicely.
Bowman made a mistake with the Jarry trade, but he delivered two legit fixes over the summer.
Well, we hope it turns out that way.
Jarry might be more comfortable this season.
I hope so. He and his wife are expecting their second child (announced a few days ago) so hopefully everything goes smoothly for them family wise and for him with the Oilers.
With Andersen and Levi in the shadows to save the day I would think Jarry isn’t feeling as much heat from the mob as last year. I do see either Andersen or Jarry hitting the LTIR resulting in Levi getting a nice look to see if he’s ready to be a starter in 2 years once the Jarry contract has expired.
He sure did. Impressive initiative and course correction.
He sure did. Liked the requisition to identify the error, and initiative to find a way to fix it.
was there someone else within the organization who pumped Jarry?
I don’t see it as a mistake. He said a move had to be made, we don’t know the internal politics. Jarry was fine until injured. Frederic recovered more slowly than normal
Every pundit I read or heard said Jarry has higher upside, and Skinner’s contract was ending and they weren’t going to keep the existing tandem. The upcomng goalie UFA market wasn’t great unless you value old goalies that got pai
Too bad it went sideways but I have no problem with the thinking
I was not a fan of the trade. But I heard that from an analytics perspective, not just the by-the-eye pundits, Jarry was a better fit for Oilers than Skinner. I don’t know what was being compared, viz numbers. I am interested in seeing a healthy Jarry.
ps. I’ve heard that goalie+new baby=bad numbers is real thing, from a goalie analytics guy. We saw that with Skinner. I’m hoping Jarry (and team) have a different experience. (I suggest future goalie contracts have a clause that new babies are only allowed June-Sept)
Just like “regular people”, that second baby is a big adjustment. Skinner had a Calder nomination season in 22/23 and his first son was born right in the middle of it. I’m sure there are lots of examples both ways.
It’s a challenge, but most people aren’t doing it with the resources to hire whatever they need, and live in a big enough house to get sleep if you need it. Surely a wealthy hockey wife gets that the pro athlete shouldn’t be the one getting up at night, and if she can’t (which my wife couldn’t at times) there are solutions
Maybe Levi is a pinch hitter.
Sure, highly reasonable position.
For all we know, Jarry has a very good year in 50 regular season starts this year…..
I wonder, was that the GM’s trade, or someone from above?
Because you say so?
Jarry could be awful this year and waived/assigned to the minors and the Oiler still have a great season and playoff run as, well, other goalies with pedigree and ceiling have been acquired. I don’t expect that of Jarry but its a scenario that doesn’t line up with your view.
Would Bowman have made the Podz trade without losing Holloway? Probably not but we don’t know.
What we do know is he did make that trade and should get full credit for it and, in addition, full credit for the re-sign, a year ahead of time, to what is going to be a massive value contact for the next 3 seasons.
Trying to downplay everything Bowman did with Podz, trade and re-sign, is narrative driven.