Top Five Right Wingers In Edmonton Oilers Franchise History
Welcome back to the third edition of this series where we rank the five greatest players in Edmonton Oilers franchise history in each position. To this point, there have been two lists done so far, both on centers and left-wingers. Today, we will be looking at the final forward position, that being right-wingers.
While the all-time list for center featured some elite level, Hall of Fame class players, the left-wing list tailed off a bit. Though this list of right-wingers won’t be as strong as the center one was, however, it is a pickup from the left side and features multiple Hall of Famers. With that being said, here are the top five right-wingers in Oilers history.
5. Petr Klima
Though Petr Klima’s time with the Oilers was relatively short, he was able to put forth several memorable moments during his four seasons in Edmonton. The Czech forward was acquired in a trade early into the 1989-90 season that saw him, Joe Murphy, Adam Graves, and Jeff Sharples head to Edmonton in exchange for Jimmy Carson, Kevin McClelland, and a fifth-round pick.
He became a scoring threat immediately upon arriving in Edmonton, racking up 25 goals and 53 points in 63 games to finish out that season. In the playoffs that year, he scored one of the most memorable goals in Oilers’ history, a triple-overtime winner versus the Boston Bruins in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final. The most remarkable thing about the goal was that Klima had been benched since the second period, but was given a shot in the third overtime and made the most of it.
Klima continued to play for the Oilers through the 1992-93 season and was then traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for future considerations. He played in a total of 274 games with the Oilers, scoring 119 goals and 209 points.
4. Jordan Eberle
Jordan Eberle is a player who never got the attention he truly deserved during his time as an Oiler due to how bad the team was. While his numbers in recent years with the New York Islanders have been solid, he had a few great years in Edmonton, none better than in 2011-12 where he put up career highs with 34 goals and 76 points in 78 games.
Eberle scored 20 or more goals in five of his seven seasons with the Oilers, and likely would have in all seven if it weren’t for a lockout-shortened season and an injury during his rookie year. He was able to finally suit up in the playoffs with the Oilers in 2016-17, but was invisible throughout their 13 games, failing to score a goal and only registering two assists. This poor performance led to him being traded that summer to the Islanders.
Eberle played in a total of 507 games with the Oilers, recording 165 goals and 382 points. He then went on to play four seasons with the Islanders before being claimed in the 2021 expansion draft by the Seattle Kraken, where he will be counted on to be one of the team’s top offensive performers.
3. Ales Hemsky
Like Eberle, Ales Hemsky’s career never got the respect it deserved due to playing on many weak Oilers rosters. For a number of years, Hemsky undeniably had one of the highest skill sets throughout the entire NHL, and was capable of producing highlight-reel plays on a nightly basis. He led the team in scoring for four straight seasons from 2005-2009, and likely would have continued that streak had it not been for numerous injuries.
Hemsky’s best season came in 2005-06 where he recorded a career-high 77 points in 81 games. He was a huge reason that the Oilers were able to advance all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals that season, though they ultimately fell short of the big goal. He continued to star for the Oilers for a number of years after, but his play began to decline in 2011-12 after it was clear his abundance of injuries were slowing him down.
The Oilers ended up trading Hemsky to the Ottawa Senators at the trade deadline during the 2013-14 season, and during his brief time in the nation’s capital, he was able to produce like he had in past years with 17 points in 20 games. After his brief stint with the Sens, he played three seasons with the Dallas Stars and spent a very short period of time with the Montreal Canadiens, but it was clear he was no longer the player he had been in Edmonton. During his time as an Oiler, he suited up in 652 games, tallying 142 goals and 477 points.
2. Glenn Anderson
Though Glenn Anderson doesn’t get discussed as much as some other Oilers during their dynasty days, it doesn’t take away from the fact that he was a huge part of their success. The Hall of Famer was a fantastic goalscorer and finished with 498 tallies in his career.
Anderson spent the first 11 seasons of his career with the Oilers, two of which he scored north of 50 goals and three of which he had north of 100 points. While his regular-season numbers were fantastic, however, he was known more for elevating his game in the playoffs. Andersons 93 playoff goals and 214 playoff points both rank fourth all-time. He was also known at coming up big in clutch moments, having scored five playoff overtime goals in his career, which is good enough for fifth in league history.
Prior to the start of the 1991-92 season, the Oilers chose to trade Anderson, along with Grant Fuhr and Craig Berube to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for Vincent Damphousse, Scott Thornton, Luke Richardson, Peter Ing, and future considerations. Anderson played in three seasons with the Leafs before short stints with the New York Rangers and St. Louis Blues. He briefly returned to the Oilers during the 1995-96 season but appeared in just 17 games. His 906 points in an Oilers jersey rank him fourth all-time, while his 417 goals are second.
1. Jari Kurri
It won’t come as a surprise to many to see Jari Kurri as the top name on this list. The Finnish superstar was absolutely electric during his time as an Oiler, scoring 474 goals and 1043 points in just 754 games. The now 61-year-old recorded north of 100 points in five of six seasons from 1982-1989, including the 1984-85 season where he put up career highs with 71 goals and 135 points.
Despite how great his numbers were, the only hardware Kurri has aside from five Stanley Cup rings is a Lady Byng Trophy during that previously mentioned 84-85 season. Of course, that is more of a testament to how great some of his teammates, particularly Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier, were more than anything else.
Kurri’s 601 goals and 1398 career points both rank second all-time amongst Finnish-born players, trailing only Teemu Selanne. His numbers aren’t just great amongst his home nation either, as he is just one of 20 players ever to score north of 600 NHL goals. It was a no-brainer for the Oilers to hang his number 17 from the rafters.