Aaaaaaand it’s official, the Oilers are going to be drafting 1st overall in 2015!!!
It’s become an annual tradition in Edmonton. The season ends in April – yes, yes, yes. We know that part. But during the 1st round of the playoffs, it’s the draft lottery! That one day per year that Oiler fans can finally figure out where in the lottery we’re drafting and begin the speculation on who would be the best fit. The results are in, and they are positive for the Oilers!
The #Oilers will select 1st at the 2015 #NHLDraft!
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) April 19, 2015
Going into the draft lottery, the odds of getting the #1 pick were as follows:
- Buffalo Sabres – 20%
- Arizona Coyotes – 13.5%
- Edmonton Oilers – 11.5%
- Toronto Maple Leafs – 9.5%
- Carolina Hurricanes – 8.5%
- New Jersey Devils – 7.5%
- Philadelphia Flyers – 6.5%
- Columbus Blue Jackets – 6.0%
- San Jose Sharks – 5.0%
- Colorado Avalance – 3.5%
- Florida Panthers – 3.0%
- Dallas Stars – 2.5%
- LA Kings – 2.0%
- Boston Bruins – 1.0%
Source, USA Today
The 2015 draft is an OPPORTUNITY of monumental proportions and could very well have lasting effects for a decade or more. With their 1st round pick this year, I would pick ….. drumroll, please…..
Connor McDavid
Why should the Oilers draft him?
Does this young man really need any introduction? He’s been on the radar of just about every hockey fan for the past 2 years and the level of hype around him hasn’t been since Sidney Crosby entered the league. This quote taken from Craig Button, TSN’s Head of Scouting should give you some idea:
"Has a ‘next generation’ processor and sees the game in a ‘parallel universe.’ Lightning quick in his head, hands and feet and what the minds directs the feet and hands can do. Exceptional ability to recognize both opportunity and danger at the same time and then exploit the opportunity and avoid the danger. Big time competitor albeit a ‘quiet’ one but lethal."
After these draft results, the Oilers are going to be drafting 1st, 16th, (depending on Pittsburgh’s playoff performance) 33rd, 60th, 79th, 89th, 124th, 131st (depending on Montreal’s playoff performance)154th and 184th. That’s a boatload of picks and it could very well be Stu MacGregor’s last draft at the helm of Oilers amateur scouting.
What does this mean for the centres that Edmonton currently has? McDavid should slot right into the 2nd line spot and gave Yakupov a true set-up man. As I write this, I struggle to comprehend that it’s real. I was fully prepared for a 3rd overall pick of Strome/Hanifin and I cannot believe that this has actually happened. The 2nd line for the Oilers next season might have Pouliot and Yakupov riding shotgun with McDavid.
The drafting struggles of the team in the 2nd round have been well documented in recent years and Lander’s emergence as a legitimate NHL player probably have MacGregor breathing a little easier and not bracing for a pink slip.
But we need more. The 1st round is where all the big names go. There is rarely a surprise choice and almost any name being called in the 1st round can be defended. Regardless of how they have actually performed on the ice, players like Paajarvi, Hall, RNH, Klefbom, Yakupov, Nurse and Draisaitl were all highly ranked and the picks made sense at the time.
The 2nd round has been full of, in my opinion, missed opportunities. The 2010 draft had the Oilers selecting 3 times in the 2nd round, taking Pitlick 31st overall, Marincin 46th and Curtis Hamilton 48th overall. The agony of the Marincin and Hamilton picks is compounded when you realize Tyler Toffoli was taken 47th overall and is developing into an offensive force quite nicely for the Kings and could make players like Gaborik expendable as early as next season.
The gift of hindsight is a wonderful thing and it’s easy to be negative and pile on when it comes to Oilers drafting, but why shouldn’t you? In order for any team to be successful over a long period of time, you need to find a diamond in the rough every once in a while and the Oilers simply haven’t done that.
So while this is obviously an extremely positive thing for the Oilers, there is work to do other than the 1st overall pick! How about you Oilers fans, who else would you draft this year? Let me know below or Tweet me @oilonwhyte.
Onward.