Edmonton Oilers: How to Move Forward With All Top Ten Prospects
By Jeff James
The Edmonton Oilers finally have a top tier pool of prospects. We will see if the Oilers front office team can manage the pool correctly.
For the first time in a long time, the Edmonton Oilers have a large number of young prospects that show promise. However, the Oilers have shown time and time again that they do not know how to manage a pool of prospects.
After Peter Chiarelli was relieved of his duties, Bob Nicholson stated that the team would be more patient with their prospects. We will see if they stay true to their word on that sentiment.
The purpose of this article is to outline the Oilers top ten prospects (in my opinion), and what the plan should be moving forward with these players. I will state where the player should be playing next year, and what I believe would be a successful season for them. Now, let’s get started with the obvious one.
Some people argue whether the name at the top of this list should be Yamo or Puljujarvi. I think that Bouchard is the Oilers’ top prospect. My opinion is that Bouchard should start next season in the AHL, especially if the Oilers decide not to trade Matt Benning. Unless he completely lights it up in the American League, he should stay there for a full season next year.
If he gets stronger, develops defensively, and is close to a point per game in the AH; that would be a successful season for him. Some may say he should be in the NHL next year. I know that defensemen often take longer to develop, and moving him to the NHL may jeopardize his development. The Oilers cannot afford not to hit a home run with this player. Also, the fact that he was not on Craig Button’s Top 50 NHL prospects list is ridiculous.