Stan Bowman has five intriguing UFA options, and one stands above the rest

Vladimir Tarasenko tops a list of intriguing tryout names the Edmonton Oilers could dial up before training camp.

Camp opens in a matter of weeks, and Edmonton finished last season 41-30-11 for 93 points.

General manager Stan Bowman has shown he's willing to let the free agent market simmer before pulling the trigger on a depth move.

A professional tryout carries no financial risk. Impress in camp, and a contract follows. Fall short, and both sides walk away clean.

Vladimir Tarasenko, Evander Kane, Michael Bunting, Patrik Laine and Eeli Tolvanen all remain unsigned. Any of them could plausibly land in Edmonton on a tryout basis.

Connor McDavid piled up 138 points last season and Leon Draisaitl added 97. Edmonton still needs more finishers who can cash in the chances those two create.

Adding a scoring winger through a PTO costs nothing. Missing on all five names would be a wasted opportunity Bowman can't just shrug off.

That's the calculation facing the Oilers front office right now, weeks before Mike Babcock's group even steps on the ice for camp.

Tarasenko's shot could unlock Edmonton's second power play

Tarasenko has built a career finding soft ice around the net and unloading one of the league's quickest releases.

He's exactly the type of complementary scorer Edmonton could plug next to Draisaitl or McDavid without needing a break-in period.

Kane's name still carries weight in that room, too. He knows the systems and knows the two franchise centers, which cuts down the adjustment time most tryout invites require.

His recent injury history is the obvious concern for any team, Edmonton included. A tryout lets both sides find out without committing real money.

Bunting plays with an edge and battles below the dots, the kind of complementary winger who could slot in next to Draisaitl with almost no learning curve.

Handing Laine a tryout is a bit like buying a lottery ticket you already suspect might be a dud, except this one costs Edmonton nothing but a locker and a jersey.

Why gamble purely on name value when a younger option might offer more long-term projection? Tolvanen answers that question.

He's younger than the other four names on this list, plays a two-way game and still looks like he has another gear left offensively.

Bowman has stayed patient before, and camp is still weeks away. Whether any of these five actually walk into Rogers Place on a tryout deal is a question nobody in Edmonton can answer yet.