We’re deep in the summer dead zone, and the lack of Oilers news has given me the chance to formulate a few Random Thoughts that I can use your help in figuring out. This week, I’m thinking about the NHL schedule, what Stan Bowman’s plan is for Edmonton’s remaining cap space, and who will wear the “A” that used to sit on Darnell Nurse’s chest.

I know the Flames stink these days, and I know the Battle of Alberta doesn’t have the same juice it did when the Oilers broke the franchise during the second round a few years ago, but I’m still stunned the NHL couldn’t find one late slot on a Saturday night for these teams to square off in the last year at the Saddledome. We were hoping to get our tetanus up to date and put together a bus trip down to Calgary for one last night at the dome, but instead, the schedule gave us Wednesday, October 28th at Rogers Place, Wednesday, March 3rd in Calgary, Tuesday, March 23rd in Calgary, and Monday, April 5th back here in Edmonton. Not exactly bus trip ideal, ya know? All I wanted was one Saturday night in Calgary that let us load up a bus full of Nation Citizens, and haul everyone three hours south for one last ridiculous night at the Dome before that place gets rightfully replaced.

Instead, the schedule makers gave us four weekday games that will still be fun enough to watch but certainly don’t give us the chance to clear a weekend, get together with a great group of people, and make some poor life choices in another city. Then again, maybe I’m still thinking the rivalry means more than it does at this stage, and maybe the league looked at the Flames’ rebuild, Edmonton’s Stanley Cup dreams, and the general temperature of the matchup these days and decided there were better places to spend the late slots on Hockey Night in Canada. But even with all of that being very much true, it still feels weird to me. The Oilers and Flames used to be appointment TV, and now, in the last year at the Saddledome, the Battle of Alberta is getting treated like a mid-week dance with the Blue Jackets. Maybe I severely overestimated the importance of this rivalry in the year of our Gord 2026, but that doesn’t stop me from hating that the schedule makers made the point for us.

According to the folks over at PuckPedia, the Oilers still have $4,725,834 in cap space available with all of their RFAs and free agents signed, and that number is making me feel all kinds of antsy. We’re so used to watching this team run itself right up to the cap ceiling every summer that seeing some actual space on the board is almost foreign and scary. At the same point, it’s also kinda like finding a $20 rolled up in your jacket that you forget about from months ago. As we’re speaking this morning, the Oilers have 12 forwards, eight defencemen, and three goalies signed and listed on the NHL roster, so we’re not talking about one of those off-seasons where the team has to cap dance its way into opening night without having a full roster available. We have enough players to start the year, there’s money left in the bank, and for once, the Oilers have some options on how they want to proceed.

After this question came up in the Mailbag, everyone seemed to land on the fact that Bowman doesn’t need to spend the money just because it’s there. And while I absolutely agree with that premise, I’d also be lying if I said I’m not looking at that space and wondering what another top-six forward would look like, whether that’s via signing or trade. After not being able to think of such things over the last few years, it’s kinda nice to have options. But maybe the smarter play is to keep some cash in hand, let the cap space build as the year rolls along, and wait until the roster tells you what it needs at the deadline? Maybe the new cap-compliant playoff rules makes that optionality even more important? But listen, I’m not going to pretend like I understand any of that well math enough to make the right call here, but all I know for sure is that this is the first summer in a long time where Stan Bowman can still make some magic happen. Personally, I’d spend it if it makes sense, but no one asks for my opinion. So, with that in mind, what would you do with the money? Spend it now, sit on it until the deadline, or wait until the hole shows as the season plays out?

Now that Darnell Nurse has been shipped off to San Jose, there’s an “A” available for someone to wear this season, and I don’t think this decision needs to be all that complicated or should take very long to settle. Sean Pangs wrote about who the candidates might be back on July 8th, but I also feel like Sean’s post could have been over immediately after making the case for Zach Hyman. In his five years with the Oilers, ZMH has played 366 regular season games, scored 175 goals, and put up 310 points, which is hilarious production for a guy a lot of people out east thought was overpaid the second his name hit the contract. Instead, Hyman has fit in with the group perfectly, become the Oilers’ emotional leader, and forced himself into the conversation as the best free agent signings in NHL history. You’re telling me that guy shouldn’t be the clubhouse leader for Nurse’s alternate captain vacancy?

And while I absolutely love the goals and points he’s put up since jumping ship on Toronto, it’s the rest of the package that writes Hyman’s name in ink as our guy. He cares, he works harder than anyone else on the ice, he always says the right things without sounding like he’s pulling a cliche out of a Rolodex, and he represents both the team and the city exactly the way you’d want from someone wearing a letter. From my side of the laptop screen, this seems like a no-brainer. As much as I like Mattias Ekholm a lot, and can even understand why Evan Bouchard could be part of the conversation, Zachary Martin Hyman is the cleanest answer by an international flight’s worth of distance. Nurse’s “A” has to go somewhere, and if Hyman isn’t at the front of that line, I’d love to know what we’re overthinking. Just me? Can’t be.

Hockey fans recognize elite performance instantly, and that’s exactly how Capital GMC Buick operates. With one of the city’s deepest selections of top-quality GMC and Buick vehicles and a customer experience built to win year after year, this dealership consistently leads the pack. Five current NHL players proudly drive vehicles from Capital GMC Buick, and for good reason. The store has been rated the #1 GM dealership in Canada by DealerRater for three consecutive years, is the only GM dealer in Edmonton endorsed by J.D. Power as a Dealer of Excellence, and has raised over $30,000 for the Stollery Children’s Hospital.