Stan Bowman just revealed what the Oilers are really looking for

Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers now have a clear directive from GM Stan Bowman, stockpile big centres, and never stop doing it.

This week, Bowman laid out that philosophy directly in an OilersPlus mini documentary covering the draft and July 1 moves.

After landing 6-foot-4, 205-pound centre Rudolfs Berzkalns in the second round, Bowman said Edmonton liked the size and responsible play that comes with that profile.

He didn't stop there either, saying the Oilers are looking for big centres every single year, calling the position one you can never have enough of.

That lines up with what insider Bob Stauffer floated last week, saying a fourth line or hybrid centre addition wasn't out of the realm of possibility given Edmonton's cap space.

That mindset already shows up on the roster. McDavid put up 138 points over 82 games, while Draisaitl added 97 points of his own across just 65 games.

Why Edmonton's centre depth is deeper than it looks

Both of those numbers came with real size at the position, and both players were dealing with something less than full health once the playoffs actually started.

Jason Dickinson chipped in 17 points over 64 games as a depth centre option, while Ryan Nugent-Hopkins added 56 points across 72 games in a similar role.

Mathieu Joseph and Colton Dach round out a group that can slide up the middle in a pinch, even if neither profiles as a true top six centre long term.

There's also chatter about developing bigger bodies further down the pipeline, the kind of long-term bet that fits exactly what Bowman keeps preaching publicly.

Wanting big centres is easy to say in August. Finding one on the trade market this year is another story entirely, with plenty of cap-rich teams chasing the same short list.

Whether Edmonton actually lands another true top six centre before the deadline, or leans on internal development instead, is the question that decides how deep this group really gets.