At the end of May, the Edmonton Oilers elevated the profile of the organization’s analytics department. Michael Parkatti, hired in 2023, took on a new title as vice president of analytics and technology. As Parkatti was hired before Stan Bowman came aboard as general manager in July 2024, the increased role suggested the Bowman-Parkatti tandem has been productive.Has it?One thing we can’t know for certain is how seriously Parkatti’s department is taken by management. During the period Tyler Dellow was part of the Oilers staff (2014-16), there were free-agent signings (Andrej Sekera) that looked like mathy choices, but there didn’t appear to be much other procurement that could be connected to fancy stats.If an analytics department makes a series of recommendations but they’re not acted upon, mistakes will be made. Oilers fans have experienced a lifetime of missteps since 2015 in this area.Fast forward to the Bowman era, and we still have no better method of identifying the analytical selections, but we do have a fresh administration to view and evaluate. How many of this summer’s moves could reasonably be connected to analytics? A reminder: we’re looking for transactions that could have been aided by analytics, not defining them as analytics transactions.Darnell Nurse tradeDarnell Nurse was a productive player for over a decade in Edmonton. In fact, he was on value deals until signing the $9.25 million annual average value contract in the summer of 2021. From the moment he was signed until his trade to the San Jose Sharks on July 1 this year, the contract was a drag on the salary cap. More than any other transaction this offseason, the newfound freedom to wheel under the cap aligns perfectly with analytical thinking. Bowman gave the roster room to fill holes that would not have been addressed without this trade. The analytics department would have concurred.The goaliesFaced with a problem that has plagued the organization for a decade (since Cam Talbot), Bowman brought in two goalies and plans to run with three next season. Odds are the three-headed monster will be reduced to two often enough due to injury, but there’s an analytics feel to the solution.Most NHL stoppers have significant performance swings each season. Injuries, fatigue and luck all can be factors. Edmonton’s summer acquisition of Frederik Andersen makes sense from a math viewpoint because he’s capable of going on exceptional runs of success. Andersen proved it as recently as this spring, going 12-1 with a .931 save percentage in the first three rounds of the playoffs. Bowman doesn’t need Andersen to be on top of his game all season, but a repeat of last spring would be ideal.