"Kowalski sums up season"

Edmonton Oilers News (April 27th 2011) "Kowalski sums up season"

General manager Morgan Kowalski held the final press conference of the year today, answering a variety of questions. As the players were busy cleaning out their lockers and heading off for a summer vacation, Kowalski was busy praising his coaching staff for the development they had contributed to within the organisation.

Q: How do you view the season as a whole?
A: We can be proud of the regular season, as can we with the way we kept all but two games in the series against Vancouver so close. They have a team that is built differently than ours and are expected to be competing for the Cup right now. We are still a few years away, but no one in the locker room felt pride when we lost game seven. Regardless of our stature, plans and goals, we are still a team that competes with the intention to go all the way. We were very disappointed to be beaten when we had pushed it to a final matchup we were not thinking that it would be a good season either way.


Q: What changes do you expect to do for next season?
A: We have to assess what we want to look like next year, specifically in terms of our free agents. I don't really see major changes in the cards, but you never know.


Q: Will you be pursuing any free agents?
A: It is not likely, but I won't ever overlook a chance to bring in a quality player or two just for the sake of it. The problem with free agents is the free market you know, and we won't get into any bidding war and get into cap problems later. One of our organisational tenets is to pay players what we think they are worth, not what others may think they are worth. That, of course, means we have to let the odd player go - even really good ones - but I believe it will gain our team in the long run.


Q: Do you expect to bring in any of the draftees from previous years for next season?
A: I expect to sign a few prospects, but they will have to prove themselves during the training camp as will anyone who expects to play regularly for the Oilers. It is not to say that we don't have an idea of who will be our core players, but we have a selection of young players that can steal a roster spot. If not, we aim to improve our affiliate in Springfield too, they also suffered a first round exit in the playoffs and will surely appreciate some reinforcements.