It has been an offseason of change for the Edmonton Oilers.
Along with some important players finding new homes, the team also saw a notable change in its coaching staff, as the Oilers elected not to bring back Dustin Schwartz as the team’s goaltending coach.
It led to the team hiring former Chicago Blackhawks developmental goalie coach, Peter Aubry.
In a recent appearance on 100% Hockey with Millard and Shannon , Oilers general manager Stan Bowman was asked about how difficult it was to change goaltending coaches.
“That was hard. It was,” Bowman said. “I know Dustin had been there for a long time, and I think it wasn’t really so much about people doing a bad job. I think sometimes change is good. And when you’ve had one thing for a long time – [Stuart Skinner’s] been there for a few years in a row, and same with [Calvin] Pickard. I just felt maybe a little bit of a different look would be good for our organization.”
One of the largest criticisms surrounding the Oilers for the past couple of years, despite the team making it to the Stanley Cup Finals in each of the past two seasons, has been the team’s inconsistent play between the pipes. Despite Skinner showing glimpses of being a championship-quality goaltender, it hasn’t been enough to take Edmonton to the Promised Land.
Bowman also believes changing things up can be beneficial for a team.
“I think sometimes you can get some energy out of change. It doesn’t always have to mean that there was horrible reasons for it or why. I just think sometimes change is good, and that was really the thought process that went into that one.”
Bowman had a previous relationship with Aubry, having hired him during his time with Chicago. He admits that there are many traits that make Aubry the right man for the job.
“He’s a fantastic guy, Bowman stated. “He’s fun to be around. I think he’s a very collaborative guy…I think he’s established, always, a good relationship with the goalies. I think a lot of it is a technical aspect to goaltending, without a doubt. But I do think that there’s a large part of it that’s the mental side…It’s the toughest position to play in professional sports.
“So, you have to have a good relationship with your goalies, and to be able to help them through those ups and downs that are inevitable.”
Bowman also brought up his workload behind the scenes over the past month or so, mentioning that the Oilers have been making some changes in the wake of losing players like Connor Brown, Viktor Arvidsson, Evander Kane, and more.
“We wanted to try to make a few changes. I’ve always felt, coming after when we won some of those years in Chicago, I never thought it made sense to bring everybody back. I always like to have a little bit of newness to the group. Whether you win or lose, I think it’s important to try to have some guys that weren’t part of that group, and they didn’t experience the long run. … I think you need some of that newness and that energy to push your group.”
The Oilers won’t be a completely new-look team, having re-signed depth players like Trent Frederic and Kasperi Kapanen, along with extending Evan Bouchard. Yet, Bowman wants to see what new faces, like forward Andrew Mangiapane, can bring to the table.
“I think sometimes you need some different players. One of the focuses was to try to bring a little bit of youth to our team…We have more of a veteran team. I think we’ve tried to get younger [with] some of the moves we made, because I think that’s important for a team to have some of that energy from players that haven’t been through it…I think having some new faces that haven’t done it is good for your group and push them forward.”
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