Analysts Look Back on Oilers’ Brock Boeser Miss With Regret

The Edmonton Oilers had a relatively active offseason, though much of their work was done nibbling around the edges. Despite all of the talk about trading for a goalie or landing a top-six forward, Stan Bowman prioritized shedding salary and getting younger.

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Out went Connor Brown, Viktor Arvidsson, Evander Kane, John Klingberg, Jeff Skinner, and Corey Perry. In came Isaac Howard, Andrew Mangiapane, David Tomasek, and Jack Roslovic, and just as notably, the Oilers handed an eight-year, $30.8 million contract extension to deadline acquisition Trent Frederic.

Aside from Roslovic — who has missed the last few weeks because of a gruesome injury — Bowman’s roster turnover this summer hasn’t worked out particularly well, much to the chagrin of the fanbase.

Because of that, the guys from Oilersnation Everyday recently revisited what could have been had Edmonton not swung and missed on Brock Boeser in free agency, instead allocating that money to Frederic and Mangiapane, both of whom have struggled mightily in 2025–26.

Yaremchuk said:

“What team’s better, the team with Mangiapane and Frederic or the team with Clattenburg and Boeser. Probably a team with Clattenburg and Boeser right, you spent seven whatever on Boeser, just get the deal done.”

Horrobin added:

“You can’t be the team that was close on everyone. And they were close, supposedly on Rantanen. They were close on Boeser. It’s like< OK, now become the yes team. A team that they commit to,”

The 28-year-old Boeser ultimately signed a seven-year, $50.75 million extension to stay in Vancouver on July 1 — a contract you have to wonder how he feels about now, knowing Quinn Hughes has since left town. He’s produced 17 points (nine goals, eight assists) in 31 games on the league-worst Canucks so far this season.

Could the Oilers Revisit Targeting Brock Boeser?

The math works. Swapping out Frederic and Mangiapane for Boeser would save the Oilers $200K.

While it certainly stings for Edmonton to see what they’re getting out of Frederic and Mangiapane for $7.45 million as opposed to what Boeser could bring at $7.25 million, perhaps they could attempt to correct that mistake?

After pulling the plug and trading their captain and best player to the Minnesota Wild, Jim Rutherford has finally admitted that Canucks are rebuilding. While you never quite know with Rutherford, that typically means a soon-to-be 29-year-old like Boeser could be available for the right price.

Making the money work will be no easy task for an Oilers team always tight to the cap, but with some creativity, it’s at least plausible. As of now, it remains unlikely — though there aren’t many better top-six winger options that could be on the market than Boeser. At the very least, it would be wise for Bowman to check in and see whether there’s a deal to be made.

One thing worth noting is that Boeser has a full no-move clause, and there is speculation that he stayed in Vancouver due to a personal relationship. That might explain why there was a sudden pivot on his status with the team and why, when everyone thought he was moving on, he ultimately stayed. If he’s still in that relationship, it might not be about winning. It might be about staying close.

Next: Stuart Skinner Sounds Frustrated After “Super Weird” Oilers Rematch