The Edmonton Oilers Should Help The Nashville Predators Start Their Rebuild

2016 second-round pick Tyler Benson is at a crossroads in his career. His second contract with the organization – which was also a two-way contract – is up after this season, and he doesn’t appear to be any closer to a roster spot than he was when he was first drafted.

At one point in his career, he was part of the best line in the AHL with Cooper Marody (now playing for Philly’s farm team the Lehigh Valley Phantoms) and Ryan Mcleod, who has since become a regular with the Edmotnon Oilers. He’s been called up three times in his career, including once this season for a brief two games which produced no offence. Benson can score at the AHL level but has played 38 NHL games in his career so far, only producing 1-2-3 in those 38 games, so he can’t translate his offence to the NHL.

Several players have now usurped him on the depth chart, both in terms of playing for the Edmotnon Oilers and considerations for callups – Jesse Puljujarvi, Mcleod, and Kailer Yamamoto have all made the big leagues on the regular at forward before Benson, while Dylan Holloway, Xavier Bourgault, Raphael Lavoie, Tyler Tullio, James Hamblin, and even Brad Malone have all become better candidates for callup then Benson has.

He’s only 24 and is only an RFA after this season, but his chances are no better than 50-50 at best for coming back next season. The Condors are now getting to the point where they need to save spots for real prospects, not just AHL veterans, so the team may simply let Benson walk at the end of the season.

Another strike against him is the GM who originally drafted him is not the same one in charge of the Edmonton Oilers now, and GMs will typically give more rope to their own prospects rather than those of their predecessors.

He’s only 24 so there’s technically still time for him, but he’ll be 25 in March and unless the lightbulb comes on and he goes on such a tear in the AHL that he forces the Oiler’s hand in calling him up, expect that when this AHL season is done he has likely played his final game for this organization. He can continue his career in Europe or see if he can get an AHL-only contract in another organization.

Not including playoffs Benson has now played in 197 AHL games and at this point looks like he’s peaked – unless of course, something changes between now and the end of the AHL season – but that’s only 19 games from now at the time of this writing. He’s not the first draft pick to be a bust and he won’t be the last.