NHL Rumors: Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid Extension Are Top Priorities for New GM Stan Bowman

Sportsnet: Edmonton Oilers new GM Stan Bowman on his vision for the Oilers and how extending Leon Draisailt and Connor McDavid are top priorities.

** NHLRumors.com transcription

Reporter: “I just wanted to ask you, you come into a situation here with this team. They did most of the heavy lifting in the offseason, you have the roster set, but I just want to ask you what your vision is for the future of this team.

And obviously, the big thing that surrounds this team is the signing of Leon Draisaitl, the signing of Connor McDavid in two years. How are you seeing this team developing? What’s your vision for this team in the future?”

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Bowman: “Sure. Yeah, great question.

Starting with Leon, I mean, Leon’s a star player and he’s top priority for me. I mean, I want to, I want Leon to be an Oiler for life.

And you know, he’s a fantastic player. I’ve, I’ve enjoyed watching him play. And I think what, what sets him and Connor apart from pretty much anyone else, is in the game is there’s certainly stars, but they’re that rare breed that can elevate their game in the playoffs which is a hard thing to do. I mean, the games get harder. The attention on them gets higher and you look at their performance and they’re, they’re the best there is.

So yes, I think that’s a priority. They clearly are a big part of what we’re doing but it does take a team to win. So I think as, is looking into the future, you know, what we want to try to do is to, and there’s a great supporting cast right now. I mean, there’s, this is a great roster that Jeff has assembled. So, you know, there’s certainly a lot to be excited about.

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And in the coming years, there’s always going to be challenges with the salary cap and with, but when you have, the hardest thing to do in the game is to get star players. That’s it. That’s the hardest thing to do. So we’ve got them and they’re a huge part of this community, this team, and they’re going to be going forward.”