McDavid: Oilers' management 'had a great offseason'

Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid is pleased with how the club's front office conducted business this summer.

"They've had a great offseason so far," McDavid told TSN. "It's been short, it's been hurried, but I think in the small time they've been at it, they've done great things. Keeping this many guys together is a good thing. In the salary-cap era, it's tough to do that."

The Oilers and former general manager Ken Holland agreed not to renew his contract shortly after the club lost Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final to the Florida Panthers. Edmonton's CEO of hockey operations, Jeff Jackson, has served as temporary GM since and has been busy.

Jackson brought in veteran forwards Jeff Skinner and Viktor Arvidsson in free agency while also retaining key playoff contributors Connor Brown, Adam Henrique, Corey Perry, and Mattias Janmark.

After the dust settled in free agency, the Oilers acquired 2022 ninth overall pick Matt Savoie in a trade with the Buffalo Sabres.

Zach Hyman also gave his seal of approval on Edmonton's offseason moves.

"It's also a testament to the team that guys are willing to come back on team-friendly deals and take discounts to try and win," he said. "I think they see how special it is to play in Edmonton, and it's now becoming more of a destination to play, and that's really awesome to see."

The Oilers were the league's top team with 97 points after Kris Knoblauch replaced Jay Woodcroft as head coach this past season and reached the Final for the first time since 2006.

Copyright © 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.