Since Stan Bowman was hired on July 24, 2024, he has been responsible for signing 50 contracts for the Edmonton Oilers organization. To narrow them down for grading purposes, only contracts that have had the greatest impact or are soon to have an impact on the NHL roster will be graded; most entry-level and depth deals will be omitted.

The grade will be based on term, cap hit, clauses, and what the team expected or expects of the player.

Leon Draisaitl signs extension

Date: Sept. 3, 2024

Terms: eight years, $112 million ($14 million cap hit)

The first deal that Bowman ever signed with the Oilers has also been his best. Signing one of the best players in the world to a contract that was not only max-term but also a very reasonable cap hit that will only become more and more of a steal as the cap continues to rise dramatically was excellent business. Comparing it to the contracts of Leo Carlsson or Kirill Kaprizov already makes it look like a bargain, and it’s only a year old. It was also the first step in ensuring that Connor McDavid signed his own extension, which we will get to in a bit. This deal expires in 2033, when Draisaitl will be almost 38, virtually ensuring that he will be an Oiler for life.

Grade: A

John Klingberg joins midseason

Jan. 17, 2025

Terms: one-year, $1.755 million cap hit

After Klingberg signed a one-year deal with Toronto in July 2023, he only played 14 games for the Maple Leafs before missing the rest of the season and then undergoing hip surgery, which would cause him to go unsigned and miss the beginning of the 2024-25 season as well. While that gave many general managers pause when it came to signing Klingberg, Bowman’s gamble paid off fairly well, as the Swede became a legitimate part of the 2025 Stanley Cup Finalist team’s blueline, featuring in 19 playoff games and picking up four points.

Grade: B

Ty Emberson signs extension

April 19, 2025

Terms: two years, $2.6 million ($1.3 million cap hit)

Bowman re-signed Emberson to an inexpensive deal after his first season in Edmonton. Emberson’s dependability and reliable penalty killing are worth the low cap hit all day long, especially as a right-handed blueliner.

Grade: A

Trent Frederic signs extension

June 27, 2025

Terms: eight years, $30.8 million ($3.85 million cap hit)

Just days before he was set to become an unrestricted free agent, Bowman inked Frederic to what is undoubtedly the worst contract he has signed with the team. After being acquired from Boston, he played just one regular-season game before being an ineffective playoff regular. Rather than cutting losses and letting him walk, Bowman doubled down on the player and signed him to a maximum term, with a no-movement clause in the first four years. While it is pretty unlikely that he has as poor a season as the first year of the deal (four goals, seven points in 74 games) that saw him become a healthy scratch during the playoffs, this contract can only be considered a failure at this time.

Grade: F

Kasperi Kapanen signs........

© Oilers Nation