NHL Tampering Crackdown May Derail Oilers Stan Bowman's Offseason Plans

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Ryan Hall
December 2, 2024 (9:47 PM)

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Oilers general manager Stan Bowman may find his plans and strategies for attracting players to his team may be derailed as NHL continues its crackdown on league tampering.

Several weeks ago, Bowman spoke on the Oilers Now that several players agents had reached out to him and expressed their desire to come to the Oilers as the team has become a haven and attraction for many players to try to win a Stanley Cup.

«I've had several agents call me and tell me their players want to come to Edmonton. Agents I've talked to say we have to give our list of the few places we can play, and Edmonton is on that list now.»

This, on the heels of the team who was a few goals away from winning the Stanley Cup last season has found itself as a destination that players feel comfortable and want to be a part of.

As a general manager it's up to Bowman not to engage in back-and-forth conversation and must rather listen to what the player agent has to say as his client expressed the desire to come to the team then there is no harm done.

If Bowman engages with the agent and asks what other teams are looking for than that is considered tampering.

It's become clear that the Oilers have a good reputation amongst NHL players who have seen how the Oilers have become a perennial playoff contender and now has begun knocking on the door of the Stanley Cup finals.

Oilers superstar Leon Draisaitl made a bold statement this summer when he chose to forgo free agency and decided to sign a long-term deal worth $14 million per year over eight years.

The team will now face two other players that they need to lock up which include Evan Bouchard and Connor McDavid. If the Oilers manage to cement both players long term, it will certainly paved the way for what Bowman has been experiencing and could bring significant upgrades to the roster in the way of free agent signings.

But in the meantime, the Oilers must obey the rules and try to make the team better through trades either now or close to the March trade deadline. It's safe to say the next few years will be very interesting in Oil Country.