Oilers linked to Stan Bowman as replacement for Ken Holland

One of the most notable changes for the Edmonton Oilers in the immediate wake of losing in the Stanley Cup Final to the Florida Panthers is that there is now a vacancy for the general manager position. 

Ken Holland has stepped aside after five seasons on the job; he arrived in town shortly after being supplanted in Detroit by franchise icon Steve Yzerman. Despite being promoted to a higher position with the Red Wings, the lure of continuing to work as a GM was too strong for Holland, and he soon relocated to northern Alberta. 

The Oilers now have a bevy of candidates to choose from to fill the recently vacated role, among them former Buffalo Sabres GM Jason Botterill as well as Keith Gretzky, the Oilers assistant GM and the brother of team franchise icon Wayne Gretzky. 

However, one of the more controversial names that was floated by Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic is former Chicago Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman. As you remember, he resigned his position in 2021 after revelations came to light about the cover up involving the sexual assaults of Kyle Beach that went unaddressed by the team. Bowman was recently re-instated by the NHL and is free to seek official employment starting on July 10.

Nugent-Bowman writes: 

"There were whispers swirling around an Oilers-Bowman connection last month, something St. Louis Blues rinkside reporter Andy Strickland noted on Sunday. Those whispers grew louder after what happened the next day.

Bowman, coach Joel Quenneville and executive Al MacIsaac were reinstated by the NHL on Monday after a nearly three-year exile. They’d been banished for what the league deemed their “inadequate response” to Kyle Beach’s allegations of sexual assault by video coach Brad Aldrich in Chicago in 2010.

The three men can start working for an NHL team as early as Wednesday. Jackson was asked Monday if Bowman would be considered for the vacant GM job. He could have shot down the possibility of the three-time Stanley Cup-winning manager working for the Oilers. Instead, Jackson said he hadn’t thought about it because he’d been so busy dealing with free agency.

Until there’s cold water poured on Bowman, 51, joining the Oilers or Jackson hires someone else, the smoke will continue to blow."

Oilers fans, should the team consider this controversial figure for the GM position, or look elsewhere? 

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