Stan Bowman can't manufacture draft picks.
Believe me, if there was a way to do that, Oilers fans would have found it by now.
Years of questionable trades, a willingness to push chips into the middle of the table and the reality of trying to maximize Connor McDavid's current contract have left Edmonton with something less than a fully stocked cupboard, which isn't exactly a revelation but does present an interesting challenge for a front office that still needs to find younger, cheaper talent.
Fortunately, the NHL isn't the only place players can be found.
That's where Edmonton has stumbled onto something interesting.
The Oilers aren't blessed with endless cap space. They don't possess a surplus of premium prospects. Their first-round exits and coaching drama haven't exactly helped matters, either.
But they do have opportunity.
Lots of it.
And for ambitious players overseas looking to establish themselves in North America, opportunity can be just as valuable as money.
It's why Edmonton's recent interest in European free agents makes so much sense.
Nobody is suggesting Aku Räty or any future signing from Sweden, Finland, Switzerland or the Czech Republic is going to turn into the next Leon Draisaitl. More often than not, these players become depth contributors. Sometimes they don't work at all.
But occasionally, a team gets lucky.
Occasionally, they get more than lucky.
Carolina has built a reputation for finding value in unusual places. The Hurricanes have never been afraid to trust European leagues or invest in players who perhaps weren't viewed as blue-chip prospects by the rest of the league.
Vegas has done much the same.
The Golden Knights have made a habit of identifying players before everyone else catches up, and while they've generally been more aggressive in the trade market, they've also understood that talent exists well beyond the NHL Draft.
There's no reason Edmonton can't do something similar.
In fact, one could argue the Oilers are better positioned than most.
If you're a 24-year-old winger coming out of Finland or a defenceman dominating the Swedish Hockey League, where would you rather sign?
With a rebuilding team where playing meaningful games might still be years away?
A real contender who will more likely than not send you the AHL?
Or with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl on a roster so desperate for depth pieces that they have no choice but to play you?
With a club carrying expectations, national exposure and a realistic chance to contend?
That's not a difficult sales pitch.
And unlike some organizations whose depth charts are overflowing with first-round picks and former high-end prospects, Edmonton actually has room.
A good camp can change lives. Just ask Vasily Podkolzin, who has gone from former first-round disappointment to a player who looks like he belongs in the Oilers' long-term plans.
Once an organization develops a reputation for giving players a legitimate chance, word spreads surprisingly quickly.
That's why this strategy feels a little sneaky. It doesn't require winning bidding wars. It doesn't require sacrificing draft picks. And it certainly doesn't require handing out contracts that become headaches three years down the road.
It simply requires being right more often than you're wrong.
Granted, there are risks.
Most European free agents don't become stars. Some don't even become NHL players. The adjustment is significant because the ice is smaller, the schedule is longer, and the pressure in Edmonton is unlike anything most players have experienced.
There certainly will be misses. But misses are easier to stomach when the investment is relatively small. That's the appeal.
The Oilers don't need to find another McDavid. They don't need every European signing to become a top-six forward or a top-four defenceman. They just need to uncover useful players.
Maybe one becomes a reliable third-line winger. Maybe another develops into a penalty killer. Perhaps one eventually turns into something much more.
Those are worthwhile bets.
Because if the last decade has taught us anything, it's that the Oilers aren't going to draft their way out of every problem.
They've chosen a different path. There stars are already here and they've traded away any ones they could have drafted.
Now it's about finding support wherever it exists.
If that means looking beyond North America and building a reputation as the destination for Europe's best unsigned players, well, there are certainly worse markets to corner.
Especially for a team that doesn't have many draft picks left to spend.
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