Oilers GM addresses future of McDavid, Bouchard, coaches and goalies

National Post

8 hours ago

It was like going to the belly flop contest and seeing nothing but skinny dudes on the diving board.
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Not for the Edmonton Oilers, anyway.
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Fans hoping for, or even expecting, a major move that might push the two-time Western Conference champions over the top will have to remain patient.
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Aside from five picks in the third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh rounds, it was a quiet day for the hockey club.
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Whether this is the calm before the free agency storm on July 1 remains to be seen, but general manager Stan Bowman did address some pending issues Saturday after Edmonton's final pick.
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Bowman touched on several pressing concerns, including Connor McDavid 's future in Edmonton, Evan Bouchard's contract negotiations, the future of Edmonton's coaching staff and what to do, if anything, about goaltending.
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McDAVID ASKING QUESTIONS
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With Edmonton's captain heading into the final year of his contract and eligible for unrestricted free agency next summer, getting an extension done as soon as possible is a top priority. But the two sides still aren't talking contract yet. Right now it's more about addressing McDavid's questions about where the team is heading in the years to come.
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Asked point blank if he's optimistic he can get McDavid to commit to another deal, Bowman said it's too early to say.
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'I can't characterize it and I don't mean that in a bad way,' he said. 'We really haven't talked to him at all about his contract, it's really just been talking about our team and how we can improve, what he sees.
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'The conversations haven't even started in terms of a contract.'
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What questions is McDavid asking? What does he want to see from the organization going forward?
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'Just discussions about our team, he's just really driven to win,' said Bowman. 'We don't need an overhaul of our team, we're very close to being where we want to be but we're not quite there.
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'It would be incremental, small improvements from last year. Things that went well, you want to try and build on, and the things that weren't as good you want to address that, whether it's with tactics or different players or growth from within.'