All eyes are on the Edmonton Oilers and how they go about their business this summer after an unceremonious exit from the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Connor McDavid put the Oilers on his back as they finished second in the Pacific and booked a first-round matchup with the Anaheim Ducks. That series quickly went sideways as McDavid, Jason Dickinson, Leon Draisaitl, and Adam Henrique all battled injuries at various points.
Attention now turns to general manager Stan Bowman and what he can do to fortify their ranks in the summer.
Oilers Rumors: Edmonton Linked With Bobby McMann Swoop
The Oilers didn’t exactly run short of firepower in this series, but it is a department that could use some fresh faces. Jack Roslovic, Kasperi Kapanen, Jason Dickinson, Max Jones, Colton Dach, and Adam Henrique are all eligible to test free agency. Retaining Dickinson will be the priority, and if Kapanen returns on a team-friendly deal, even better.
For the rest, however, it appears to be a coin toss at the moment. Roslovic had a bright start to life in Edmonton but failed to show up in the playoffs, whereas Dach spent most of his Oilers tenure out injured. Henrique also picked up an injury in the Ducks series and wasn’t much of a factor as the Oilers were booted out in six games.
To address a need for fresh faces, The Athletic’s Oilers analyst, Allan Mitchell, believes they should go after Bobby McMann.
The Toronto Maple Leafs traded McMann to the Seattle Kraken at the trade deadline for a 2026 fourth-round pick and a conditional second-rounder in 2027. However, like Roslovic, McMann is eligible to test free agency this summer.
Mitchell noted that McMann played over 36 percent of his five-on-five time against the top dogs in the league with the Leafs and Seattle Kraken. While his record wasn’t much to write about in those minutes, McMann could very well suit the Oilers’ style of play as a third-line scoring option.
When all was said and done, McMann played 78 games, finishing the season with 46 points (29 goals, 17 assists).
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McMann’s AAV clocked in at $1.35 million, but after a stellar 2025/26 season, he will be in line for a bump. Because he will turn 30 in June, the speedy winger will likely demand a long-term contract since it could be the largest (and longest) of his NHL career.
This is shaping up to be a weak UFA class, but among the available options, only Alex Tuch’s production on the ice betters McMann’s numbers. If the Oilers wish to have him in their ranks, they would do well to move quickly this summer.
