The Edmonton Oilers are running a veteran crew in the 2025 playoffs, typical for a team designed to go all the way to the Stanley Cup Final.
The organization offloaded several players who had been drafted and developed in the system last summer. For fans who believe in building through draft and development, this edition of the Oilers is an outlier compared to previous incarnations of the club.
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Based on management vision and cap constraints, we could see another cull of younger Oilers again this offseason.
How many Condors?
The playoff roster has changed much in just one year. How much? The reduction (by four players) of former Bakersfield Condors on the playoff roster this season is the biggest change.
| Procured | 2024 (Pct) | 2025 (Pct) |
|---|---|---|
|
Draft |
10 (44) |
6 (27) |
|
Free Agent |
9 (39) |
11 (50) |
|
Trade |
4 (17) |
5 (23) |
The four drafted Oilers from a year ago that are no longer on the roster: Philip Broberg, Dylan Holloway, Vincent Desharnais and Ryan McLeod. That’s a lot of youth and speed. The offer sheets to Broberg and Holloway from the St. Louis Blues were not anticipated by management, but the trading of McLeod and the choice to walk Desharnais were choices made.
Much of the movement since has been trades (Vasily Podkolzin, Ty Emberson, Trent Frederic, Jake Walman) under new general manager Stan Bowman. The team has acquired players via free agency during the regular season, with John Klingberg being the most notable.
Players like Kasperi Kapanen (waiver claim) and Max Jones (trade) have yet to play in the postseason, so they’re not among the numbers above.
Change in team building?
The Oilers are in the middle of the first-round playoff series against the Los Angeles Kings, but the business of next year’s team is in full swing. Bowman’s moves over the regular season may give us some insight into his preference in building a roster.
His predecessor, Ken Holland, was one of the most devoted GMs in the game’s history when it came to building through free agency. Bowman’s time with the Chicago Blackhawks included plenty of free-agent activity, but much of it came from signing European and college free agents.
Oilers fans have already seen Bowman act in this area over the last few months. Names like David Tomasek, Quinn Hutson, Josh Samanski and Atro Leppänen may not be familiar to Oilers fans now, but all four players are scheduled to be in training camp this fall and will play in the NHL or AHL (or both) in 2025-26.
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Holland signed European free agents (Gaetan Haas, Joakim Nygard) who played for the Oilers during his time with the team, but Bowman’s signings (specifically Tomasek and Leppänen) are more promising based on math, scouting reports and wider interest from other NHL teams.
It’s possible the Oilers land in the 2026 playoffs with just as many free agents as this season. Some of those names could be value contracts from European and college clubs.
Crossroads?
The previous management has boxed Bowman in with so many no-movement clauses on contracts. There are currently nine contracts for next season that include at least some trade protection for the player. That may mean some unusual moves over the summer.
If Bowman decides to upgrade (fans are hopeful goaltending and defence are addressed), there may be more exits from the “draft and development” group that came through the AHL Bakersfield Condors in previous seasons.
Specifically, Evan Bouchard and Stuart Skinner could be used as trade assets in order to acquire an upgrade in goal (Jeremy Swayman of the Boston Bruins, if available) or on defence (Noah Dobson of the New York Islanders, should the management team decide to make changes).
Much of what happens this coming summer will be dictated by how well the Oilers do in the postseason. Fan anxiety after the first two games against the Kings was so high that the online comments and texts to radio stations included all manner of doomsday scenarios. Bowman must look past all of the noise and make the best decision for the organization.
One reality both fans and management must face: The current heart of this team has been together for several years. It’s possible the appearance in 2024’s Stanley Cup Final represents the absolute best of what this roster can deliver.
If the team has a false spring, it would indicate that change is needed.
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Graduating Condors
The AHL team has produced quality talent again this season, with several players more than capable of stepping in to a role for the club during this playoff run. Some of that talent can be found in the official roster report for each playoff game.
Goaltender Olivier Rodrigue and defenceman Cam Dineen are among the healthy scratches for games against the Kings. Both could be called in to action if the need arises.
The most promising Condors this season were:
- Matt Savoie, acquired from the Buffalo Sabres for McLeod in early July, had an exceptional first pro season in Bakersfield (19 goals, 54 points in 66 games) and was recalled to Edmonton. He played four games with the Oilers, delivering a terrific assist on a Leon Draisaitl goal, and showed well in limited minutes.
- Noah Philp is a dominant centre in the AHL. He plays in all game states and is a quality even-strength scorer.
Both men should be in the plans for the 2025-26 Oilers season.
The role of the AHL team
In recent years, the Condors’ highest production of graduating players took place in the early months after Jay Woodcroft was promoted from Bakersfield to become Edmonton’s head coach. Broberg, McLeod, Holloway and Desharnais were among the Condors who found their way under Woodcroft in the AHL and then the NHL. Bouchard and Stuart Skinner were developed in the AHL with Woodcroft as their coach, and arrived in the NHL before he made his way to Edmonton.
The Oilers will graduate Beau Akey from junior this fall, but it will be another year before Sam O’Reilly (the only first-round pick among the team’s prospects) arrives in the AHL.
The “infinibuild” that began the day Chris Pronger was traded took one decade (and drafting McDavid) to kick in to a higher gear. Making Bakersfield the home of a strong Condors prospect pool that serves as a feeder for the NHL team will take less than 10 years, but there is work to do.
Bowman’s summer will be guided by the performance of these Oilers on the ice in the days to come. The path for this organization is less clear than it has been in 20 years. Stay tuned.
(Photo of Stuart Skinner: Jayne Kamin-Oncea / Imagn Images)
This news was originally published on this post .
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