The Hockey News ranked the Edmonton Oilers 20th out of 32 teams, a jarring spot for a franchise that reached back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals.
Adam Proteau, senior digital correspondent for the outlet, laid out his case bluntly.
"Edmonton has the horses to be a playoff team in 2026-27," Proteau wrote. "That said, Bowman's moves could blow up and provide McDavid with a letdown experience, causing him to leave the Oilers two years from now or sooner."
He went further still.
"Virtually every move Bowman has made has the potential to go catastrophically wrong."
Proteau's reasoning rests on six main points. Young Pacific rivals like Anaheim and San Jose should improve, while veteran squads like Los Angeles and Vegas still contend for division dominance.
He also argued Edmonton didn't add that final missing piece despite locking up Connor Murphy and Jason Dickinson, and that losing Darnell Nurse leaves the blue line thinner than a real contender should have.
Depth losses factored in too, with Roslovic, Henrique, and Lazar all gone. Proteau also questioned hiring Mike Babcock over retaining Kris Knoblauch, pointing to Edmonton's four coaching changes since 2019.
Why the goaltending question is the real concern
Goaltending rounds out his list of worries, with Frederik Andersen turning 37 and unable to top 35 games in four straight seasons, Tristan Jarry coming off a rough year, and rookie Devon Levi still unproven.
Not every critique lands equally though. Proteau has been a consistent Oilers skeptic for years, previously picking the Kings to upset Edmonton in both 2023 and 2024, and calling last summer's roster work a "loser" in his rankings.
He was also one of the few writers to call San Jose a free agency winner specifically for adding Nurse, alongside Jacob Trouba and Michael Kesselring, even while flagging the cap risk those contracts carry down the line.
Nurse posted 7 goals and 17 assists for 24 points in 82 games last season, and Edmonton moved him without retaining a dollar of his $9,250,000 cap hit, freeing up real flexibility to make another move this year if the right opportunity comes along.
The depth losses look less damaging on closer inspection too.
None of Henrique, Roslovic, or Lazar actually helped much against Anaheim in the playoffs, and internal options like Samanski, Max Jones, and Colton Dach look like better bets regardless.
Knoblauch's exit also wasn't really optional. The locker room had reportedly grown chaotic, with star players speaking out, and a coaching change was necessary no matter who ultimately got the job.
On goaltending, Proteau's concern is fair, but running three legitimate options in Andersen, Jarry, and Levi is exactly the smart hedge a team makes when no single netminder is a sure thing.
All Edmonton needs is one of them to actually seize the job.
Trent Frederic's injury last season, along with the rash of playoff injuries that derailed Edmonton against Anaheim, is a reminder that every roster carries this same catastrophic risk.
That criticism could fairly apply to almost any GM's offseason, not just Bowman's.
With McDavid, Draisaitl, and Evan Bouchard all in their prime, and real cap flexibility built in after the Nurse trade, Edmonton looks a lot more like a top 10 team than a club fighting just to make the playoffs.
Source: 'Danger surrounding this Oilers team': Hockey's biggest publication senses doom for Edmonton
Do you agree with The Hockey News ranking the Oilers 20th overall this season?
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