The Edmonton Oilers joined the NHL in 1979, 46 years ago! Over this time, the club has seen many players come and go, some even staying for short stints. This can be with prospects the team gave up on too quickly, deadline acquisitions that did not re-sign, or players who ended their long career as an Oiler, and more.
It is bound to happen and in doing some research for this, I was blown away at the number of players that I recognized who found themselves in Oil country without me remembering they ever even put on the jersey. Some players who played even as recently as a few seasons ago that had completely slipped my mind.
So, let's see if you can remember these players or if you found yourself saying "Wait, what?" just like I did.
Ray Whitney
Not to be confused with Ryan Whitney of Spittin' Chiclets fame, Ray Whitney was a highly productive journeyman winger who played 1330 NHL games for eight different NHL clubs over his 24 year career. He was drafted by the San Jose Sharks in the Second Round at the 1991 NHL Entry Draft. He would spend six seasons with the Sharks, playing 200 games and scoring 121 points through his time.
These were respectable numbers but in his final season with the Sharks, Whitney would find himself on the outside looking in, playing only 12 games with the big club and the rest with their minor league affiliate, the Utah Grizzlies in 1996-97. The two sides were clearly not on the same page and Whitney became a free agent.
He was born and raised in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta just outside of Edmonton so when his hometown team called in 1997, Whitney signed with them. He would play nine games with the Oilers, scoring four points in his first five games before going pointless in his last four. The Oilers decided to place him on waivers where he was picked up by the Florida Panthers. It was in Sunrise where his career really took off, scoring over 60 points each of the next three seasons.
Kent Nilsson
One of the most underrated stars in NHL history Kent Nilsson was a scoring machine at the height of his career for the Oilers rival, the Calgary Flames. Nilsson was drafted by the Atlanta Flames at the 1976 NHL Amateur Draft, after dominating the Swedish Elite League (SEL) as a teenager. In 1977, he would join the NHL rival World Hockey Association, playing for the Winnipeg Jets, there Nilsson established himself as a star joining the high-flying Jets, helping them to an Avco World Trophy championship win alongside talents like Bobby Hull and Ulf Nilsson (no relation).
The following season in 1978-79 Nilsson would become the main star on the Jets, helping to capture yet another championship. After the fall of the WHA in 1979, Nilsson would join the NHL to play for the Flames in Atlanta and then following them to Calgary. He would go on to rack up jaw-dropping point totals like 131 points in 80 games in 1980-81 and 104 in 80 games in 1982-83.
Nilsson was an elite player but faced plenty of criticism as a player who had all the talent but lacked the drive needed to be even greater. In 1985, he would join the Minnesota North Stars where he would spend two seasons before being traded to the Edmonton Oilers for future considerations.
He would help the Oilers to win one of their four Stanley Cups of their 80's dynasty, playing 17 regular season games and 21 in the playoffs before leaving for Europe. He would return years later to play a short six game stint with the Oilers again in 1994-95 before heading back to Europe the next year.
Martin Gerber
Martin Gerber was drafted at 26 years old by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim at the 2001 NHL Entry Draft. Gerber had been dominating in his home country of Switzerland before standing on his head and breaking out in a big way in the top tier league. He would join the Ducks in the 2002-03 season backing up star netminder, Jean Sebastien-Giguere.
After a couple seasons proving himself as a capable netminder, playing 22 and 32 games respectively, he was dealt to the Carolina Hurricanes and named their starter. He played 60 games with the Canes in 2005-06 before losing the starting job to rookie goalie Cam Ward, who carried them all the way to Stanley Cup victory, defeating your Oilers, sadly.
He would find himself on stops with the Ottawa Senators (picking up the nickname "Darth Gerber") and then Toronto Maple Leafs after being picked up on waivers. There his hot headedness would earn him a three-game suspension to end off the 2008-09 season, after shooting a puck at the referees. Gerber would leave for Russia the next season before making a return to North America, signing a contract with the Oilers, suiting up for three games with the club and spending the majority of the year in the American Hockey League's (AHL) Oklahoma City Barons.
After this season, Gerber would head back to Europe where he would eventually retire after a long pro career and over 200 NHL games under his belt and a Stanley Cup ring.
Petr Nedved
Petr Nedved was drafted Second Overall by the Vancouver Canucks at the 1990 NHL Draft after joining the Seattle Thunderbirds of the Western Hockey League (WHL) and tearing it up with 145 points in 71 games. Nedved would join the Canucks the following year, taking a few seasons to hit his stride, but he definitely would.
He would find himself as a bit of a journeyman, being dealt to the St. Louis Blues in 1994, then being traded to the New York Rangers a few months later and then to the Pittsburgh Penguins a year after and then back to the Rangers in 1998. During this time he would establish himself as a high end player with the Penguins hitting a career high 99 points in 1995-96 and consistently hovering around point-per-game numbers for years after that.
In 2003-04, Nedved's numbers would start to fall off and so the Rangers would sell off the 32 year old center to the Oilers alongside Jussi Markkanen for Steve Valiquette, Dwight Helminen, 2004 Second Round Pick, and 2005 Third Round Pick. Both Markkanen and Nedved would impress in their stint with the Oilers that year, Nedved looked like his old self scoring 15 points in 16 games while the Oilers missed the postseason.
The NHL lockout would cancel the 2004-05 season and when the next season rolled around, Nedved would choose to sign with the Phoenix Coyotes instead of re-upping with the Oilers.
Petr Sykora
Ending this list with another Petr, this time Petr Sykora who made his name with the New Jersey Devils, who drafted him in the First Round in 1995 after standout seasons in Czechia as a teenager and with the International Hockey League (IHL). Sykora would score 18 goals and 42 points in 63 games in his rookie season but struggle to stay consistent in the following few seasons, playing up and down between the NHL and AHL with the Devils' affiliate the Albany River Rats. He would finally settle in and establish himself as a top player with the Devils and in the NHL.
He would help New Jersey win a Stanley Cup in 2000 and spend a few seasons as a top producer for the club as they went on deep playoff runs before being traded in a blockbuster deal after the 2001-02 season. He would then play with the Anaheim Mighty Ducks and New York Rangers where he would not hit the heights he did earlier in his career, settling as more of a second line center.
In 2006, Sykora would sign a one year deal to join the Edmonton Oilers who were fresh off a Stanley Cup finals appearance. He would play well with the Oilers and would score 53 points in 82 games, tying for first on the team with Ryan Smyth who played 53 games. Unfortunately, the Oilers would hit health problems and miss out on the postseason and Sykora would leave for the Pittsburgh Penguins when free agency hit.