The Edmonton Oilers lost in the Stanley Cup Final to the Florida Panthers in June. They have won two consecutive Western Conference Finals, but lost to the Panthers in both seasons. Oilers general manager Stan Bowman took over before the 2024-25 season, but could not get them over the hill in Year 1. He spoke with The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun about his emotions after losing the Cup Final.
“It’s challenging when you go that far but you fall short,” Bowman said, per LeBrun. “I was fortunate the other years that I made it (3-0 in Cup Finals with the Chicago Blackhawks). It reminded me of a conversation I had with (former Boston Bruins GM) Peter Chiarelli in 2013 (after the Blackhawks beat the Bruins in the Final). Start of the next season, and I was lamenting the fact (that) we didn’t have much time to prepare. He laughed and said, ‘Well, we didn’t either, we had just as short a summer, but we didn’t win anything.'”
Bowman continued, “But as time passes, you can reflect on the season a little bit differently. There’s a lot of heartache in the moment, but you recognize we did a lot of good things. We had a great run. It was fun to be part of and to watch the city be captivated by the team. And the passion for our players to keep pushing and finding a way after that slow start against Los Angeles (in the first round). The resiliency is something you come to appreciate. But the job is not done yet. We just have to keep at it. Two years in a row, right there. Hopefully third time’s a charm.”
Bowman did win three Stanley Cups with the Chicago Blackhawks and now has lost the first title of his managerial career. The Oilers could bring him a fourth ring, but he needed to make serious changes to the depth to get there. He changed out many of the parts in their bottom six, with the attention now heading to Connor McDavid's extension.
