Edmonton Oilers’ Handling Of Leon Draisaitl Is Encouraging
MacTavish Changing How Oilers Approach Player Development
The Edmonton Oilers have a terrible track record when it comes to developing their young talent. Over the last 10 years they have haphazardly launched first round picks like Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Nail Yakupov into the National Hockey League and expected them to seamlessly step into top line roles. The organization’s approach has failed miserably and the progress of each player has suffered as a result. Until reports surfaced that Leon Draisaitl was going to be sent back to the Western Hockey League, it looked like the start of his career was destined to follow the same disappointing path, but it appears that General Manager Craig MacTavish has a different plan for him.
Not only have the Edmonton Oilers’ organization simply handed NHL jobs to their top young prospects, they have done a terrible job insulating them with veteran leadership and adequate talent to help make their transition into the big leagues less ominous. In some cases, like Jordan Eberle, Oscar Klefbom and Darnell Nurse, the rush to get them into the NHL hasn’t been so urgent and the players have benefited. That wasn’t the case for Hall, Nugent-Hopkins and Yakupov and certain parts of their early growth suffered as a result.
Here’s a look at recent history.
Jordan Eberle, Drafted: 2008, 22nd Overall
Eberle benefited from being sent back to junior, was able to dominate in the WHL and also etched his name in World Junior Hockey Championship lore as a member of the 2009 and 2010 teams. He is on record saying that getting sent back at 19 was one of the best things for his career.
Taylor Hall, Drafted: 2010, 1st Overall
There was never really any debate about Hall making the Oilers in his rookie season. Not too many first overall picks don’t make the jump to the NHL in their first year. In Hall’s case, injuries plagued him in his first two seasons as he had trouble tempering that break neck style of game that he was able to get away with in junior. After a healthy lockout shortened season where he was able to play in the American Hockey League, Hall broke out in 2013-14 finishing seventh overall in the NHL with 80 points in 75 games.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Drafted: 2011, 1st Overall
“As much as the situation that we’re in necessitates impatience at times, we know that patience for these young players is the only way to go in terms for what’s best for their development.” – Craig MacTavish
Nugent-Hopkins found himself in a similar situation to Hall as first overall draft pick with the pedigree to step into an NHL lineup. He too had to deal with injuries because he was not physically mature enough to take what the NHL game dished out. A freak shoulder injury ended his rookie season after 62 games and the lockout gave him the chance to play at the AHL level and lead Team Canada at the World Juniors. Four years into his NHL career and after an off-season dedicated to building size and strength, Nugent-Hopkins finally looks comfortable facing the other team’s best every game.
Oscar Klefbom, Drafted: 2011, 19th Overall
Oilers defensemen Oscar Klefbom Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports
Klefbom might be the Oilers’ poster child for the correct way to bring along an NHL prospect. He played 92 non-NHL games, including 48 in the AHL, before stepping into the big club’s lineup in 2013. Edmonton allowed him to acclimatize himself to North American size ice and have success against stronger, more mature competition before serving him up on a platter to the best hockey players in the world. In addition, the Swedish defender benefited from helping his country win gold and silver at the World Junior Hockey Championship. This season, Klefbom’s poise and consistency suggest that this approach to bringing players along works pretty well.
Nail Yakupov, Drafted: 2012, 1st Overall
Aside from a one month stretch in April of 2013, Yakupov’s performance in the NHL has been pedestrian at best. Take away the 11 goals he scored in that 14 games and the young Russian has scored just 21 goals in the other 138 games of his career. Not only that, but the current chatter in Oil Country has become about number 10 being a bust and everyone is weighing in with an opinion on how to help him turn his fortunes around. Yakupov shares the same plight as every other prospect in blue and orange – a new head coach every season- but his performance combined with his draft position suggest that his development has been mishandled more than most in the organization.
Darnell Nurse, Drafted: 2013, 7th Overall
Perhaps the organization has had a different philosophy when it comes to defensemen, because the same Klefbom-like caution is being used with Nurse. To this point, he has been sent back to the Ontario Hockey League each of the last two seasons and just finished a strong showing as the anchor on Team Canada’s gold medal winning defensive corps at the World Juniors. His NHL story has yet to unfold, but if Nurse is given the same opportunity to grow into the role of an NHL defenseman, he has a physical pedigree that will help solidify the Oilers’ blue line for years to come.
Leon Draisaitl, Drafted: 2014, 3rd Overall
For Draisaitl, a new philosophy for bring top draft picks seems to be in the works. Dallas Eakins said it best during training camp when he laid out the Oilers’ lack of depth, “We have two NHL centremen right now (Nugent-Hopkins and Boyd Gordon) and I have no idea who the other ones will be; that will be for the players to decide.”
At times, the young German has looked very good stacked up against NHL competition. His size and elite play making ability will certainly translate well as his career progresses but there have been times where he has struggled, so it is nice to see that MacTavish is now going to put him in a position where he can go back to the WHL and dominate. His experience in junior will be even more positive for him as he takes on a starring role in the Kelowna Rockets quest for the Memorial Cup.
A New Hope For Player Development
Jun 30, 2013; Darnell Nurse, the number seven overall pick of the Edmonton Oilers in the 2013 NHL Draft. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports
The Oilers only have to look as far as the Edmonton Oil Kings to see how deep playoff runs in the WHL has benefited the growth of the likes of Curtis Lazar, Henrik Samuelsson and Griffin Reinhart.
Draisaitl had limited and inconsistent success in the NHL but now he has a chance to get back to being an offensive threat every time he steps on the ice in Kelowna.
By assigning Draisaitl before game 40 on the Oilers’ calendar, the timer does not start on his unrestricted free agent status. However, because he played more than nine games, he has only two years remaining on his entry-level contract when he returns for training camp in the fall. This may hamstring the Oilers when his contract comes up for renegotiation with Eberle, Hall and Nugent-Hopkins all earning 6 million dollars a year, especially if the team is on the verge of becoming a contender and in the market for players to bolster the roster.
In an interview with Chris Wescott of edmontonoilers.com, MacTavish gave his take on the move, ” I don’t view his 40 games here as time wasted at all. I think it’s time well spent for him but everybody can understand what our rationale was for sending him back to Kelowna for him to have this experience. As much as the situation that we’re in necessitates impatience at times, we know that patience for these young players is the only way to go in terms for what’s best for their development.”
Despite a potentially damaging and toxic start to his NHL career, Draisaitl has been able to benefit in some ways that can’t yet be measured. First off, he has been given a good look at what it takes to succeed at hockey’s top level. He has also had to deal with adversity that he hasn’t met yet. Finally, he has spent a considerable amount of time with players he will be attempting to build a winner with in Edmonton moving forward. Something as simple as living with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins should make the transition back to the Oilers much easier for him compared to the scenario where he would have only spent 9 games living out of a hotel room.
Given the early reviews on Klefbom compared to the downward spiral of Nail Yakupov, it is evident that the patience MacTavish mentioned has to be a important part of the organization’s decisions if they hope to reach the potential Oilers’ fans have been waiting on for the last six years.