EDMONTON – Year one is in the books.

With the trade deadline coming and going for the Edmonton Oilers, it’s a good time to reflect on some of the trades made this season. While Stan Bowman could still make a trade, any players he acquires after the deadline would not be eligible to participate in the playoffs.

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Bowman was hired near the end of July 2024. Let’s look at the three best deals made by the new Oilers GM.

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This might be the most surprising of the three deals on my list. On December 6th, Bowman traded AHL defender Noel Hoefenmayer for Jacon Perreault. This might be the most underrated deal of his Oilers tenure.

Perreault has an incredible shot and is starting to find his groove with the Bakersfield Condors. Should this continue, he could find himself in a third-line role with the Oilers in a year or two. Getting production from players on league-minimum deals is imperative for a team trying to win the championship. This deal could bring that valuable, affordable depth scoring.

The Cody Ceci for Ty Emberson trade killed two birds with a single, lofty stone. 

First, the Oilers were able to create some salary cap space. The deal unloaded $2.3 million off their books. In exchange, they gained a young defender eager to make a name for himself in the NHL.

It hasn’t all been smooth sailing with the young blueliner, as it took a while to get acclimated. However, Emberson is now a regular third-pairing defender who has become a pillar to the Oilers’ penalty kill.

The Jake Walman deal could be a Mattias Ekholm-level trade for Bowman. Walman isn’t nearly the player that Ekholm is, but the value exchange of this trade massively favors the Oilers.

Berglund was never going to be a major NHLer for the Oilers. At best, he would have been a bottom-six depth forward. The conditional first round draft pick is far enough away that sending one of them away to pick up a player of Walman’s calibre makes a ton of sense.

Walman was a minute-muncher in San Jose. The two-way defender is a lock for 20 minutes a night. His all-around game is massively helpful for a team making a big push this year to go all the way.

If this is what Oilers fans can expect from Bowman on a regular basis, the organization is in good hands.

What do you think of Bowman's trades? Do you think he made another trade that is better than any of these? Let us know your thoughts in the comments. Which of these trades is Bowman’s best deal for the Oilers? Vote in the poll to let us know your answer.

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