Edmonton Oilers Could Take Steps to Relocate AHL Affiliate Team

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Ryan Hall
November 7, 2024 (9:09 PM)

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Tyler Yaremchuk along with his Co hosts on the Oilers nation everyday podcast feels the Edmonton organization should relocate the Bakersfield Condors to Canada after they realize almost all Canadian teams have their AHL affiliates north of the border.

The panel rhymed off all the AHL affiliates and what cities they belong in which include Belleville ON for the Senators, the Marlies in Toronto, Laval in Montreal, the wranglers in Calgary, Winnipeg who hosts their own affiliate and Abbotsford British Columbia for the Vancouver Canucks.

Several years ago, NHL owners made the decision that the ownership would fall on them for their affiliate teams rather than a private owner. Doing so would help cut down travel and help with injuries as players would be able to step onto the roster in case there's a major injury. But the biggest reason is the cost as teams could eliminate travel, fatigue on their young stars and overall better performance from both leagues.

The Condors were originally were in Nova Scotia in 1984 and ended up moving to Oklahoma City to become the Barons. In 2015 the Oilers decided to move them again, this time to Bakersfield which would help form the new Pacific division in the American Hockey League.

Attendance has always been a question for these teams as several cities have struggled to fill their buildings and the Condors have seen a small drop in their attendance over the past four seasons as they were averaging well over 5000 people per game now are 4800.

Currently there is no indication the Oilers have any desire to move Bakersfield into Canada and if the Oilers were to follow the trend of the other teams, they would likely relocate within Edmonton or a community nearby. The move would tick off all the boxes that were mentioned including the travel cost.

This idea is plausible and may come true one day but, in the meantime, the Oilers will continue to look at Bakersfield as the home of the Condors and where their young players will stay.