Edmonton Oilers general manager Stan Bowman is ready to work on Connor McDavid’s timeline for a contract extension.
“Connor is the most important player in the league,” Bowman said Friday. “He’s our captain, he’s our leader. He’s certainly our top priority and he’s earned the right for us to be respectful of his timing.
“He’s driving that process.”
McDavid is heading into the final year of his contract and becomes eligible to sign an extension on July 1.
The Oilers captain, however, said Thursday after the Oilers’ exit meetings that he’s in no rush to make a decision about his future.
McDavid also explained that winning is his top priority, which doesn’t surprise Bowman.
“He wants to win,” Bowman said. “He just wants to win the cup, that’s all he cares about. He’s not driven by statistics or points or records or money.”
Bowman and head coach Kris Knoblauch met reporters for an end-of-season news conference three days after Edmonton’s loss to the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup final.
The GM said the Oilers will look to make changes during the off-season, particularly among its group of forwards and in goal.
“We’re not going to bring the same guys back,” he said. “The area with the least amount of change is going to be our defence. Up front, we need some different players. I wouldn’t expect wholesale changes; we’re not going to have nine or 10 new players.
“Forwards and the goalies are the ones we’re going to evaluate the most deeply.”
Beyond McDavid, the Oilers’ most pressing matter is signing star defenceman Evan Bouchard, who’s set to become a restricted free agent July 1.
Bouchard said Thursday he wants to stay in Edmonton. So did forwards Corey Perry and Trent Frederic.
The Oilers, according to multiple reports, have a deal in place for Frederic.
Bowman wouldn’t confirm the contract, but he called Frederic “a pretty unique player in the league.”
“There’s not a lot of guys that have that combination of his age, his experience, his competitiveness, size, physicality,” Bowman said of the player he acquired from the Boston Bruins before the NHL trade deadline.
“And I think when you add it all up, he could bring a lot to the team.”
The 27-year-old Frederic had one goal and three assists during the playoffs, albeit with 85 hits.
Frederic produced 40 points during the 2023-24 season with the Bruins.
Bowman previously said he feels Frederic could be a top-six winger or a third-line centre.
“Incredibly competitive, great teammate, great guy,” said Bowman. “He brings an element that I think you need, which is very competitive, fearless. Nobody’s going to push us around.
“He’s really impressive to have someone with his skill set that can play three different positions. When we talked to him yesterday, he said he likes to play centre.”
