Edmonton Oilers General Manager Ken Holland made a splash in the NHL offseason, but were his team's moves truly informed by data-driven decision-making? A new analysis suggests that the Oilers' aggressive pursuit of top free agents and trades may have been influenced by advanced analytics, which have become increasingly influential in the world of professional sports. By leveraging metrics such as expected goals and possession time, the Oilers may have identified key areas of need and targeted players who can address them, potentially giving them a competitive edge in the stacked Pacific Division. But did the team's reliance on analytics lead to overpaying for talent, or did it yield a more strategic approach to roster construction?

Were the Edmonton Oilers’ offseason moves aided by analytics?  nytimes.com