Revisiting the 2018 NHL entry draft - how did the Oilers make out?

Round seven - Patriik Siikanen, 195th overall

There isn't much to say about this guy, everything you need to know is here. All seasons are subpar-failing, spending all his time in the Finnish pro and minor leagues and not a single game in North America in any league whatsoever. I don't know what the Oilers saw in this guy but he's probably the biggest failure of a draft pick we've seen so far - good thing he was only a seventh round pick.

Hit or miss? Miss - fortunately the only miss in this draft.

Who did the Oilers miss out on? No one, no impact players were drafted in this round by any team. However, one piece of Edmonton Oil Kings history is seen in this round as one of the most legendary guys to ever play for the Oil Kings, Trey Fix-Wolansky, who had 102 points in 65 games his last year with the Oil Kings, would go on to be drafted by Columbus and find a scoring touch in the AHL, which unfortunately he hasn't been able to translate at the NHL level, however he is listed as having a roster spot for Columbus here with one more season to go on a two year contract paying him $775K per season. He was taken nine spots after Siikanen.

Overall verdict

I have to hand it to Chiarelli, he did a great job in this draft. He hit on all the high end picks and the sixth rounder, while only losing on the seventh rounder which is not a big deal - especially considering every other team missed on their picks in that round as well. It may have taken three years, but it looks like Chiarelli was not just one and done in terms of the draft, he can point to several key players still playing either for the Oilers or elsewhere in the NHL, and likely one more to come in Rodrigue.

People still dumping on Stan Bowman

I can't believe I'm about to keep talking about Stan Bowman, but Oiler fans keep giving me material so I'm going to keep calling them out for it. Many people are refusing to give Bowman credit for the three Cups the Hawks won while he was in charge, with many saying his predecessor in Dale Tallon did most of the work in building the team and Bowman just rid his coattails to the top.

But doesn't that sound familiar? Ken Holland has laid the foundation and turned the Oilers into a cup contender. Bowman already has a lot of experience taking a good team and turning it into a great one. I get the criticism, but so what if Bowman didn't build the Hawks by himself? We're also getting a more experienced Bowman who has learned lessons about integrity and leadership and can learn from both his successes and mistakes from his time with the Blackhawks.

I don't see this as a bad thing, considering the circumstances for him ascending to the top with the Oilers are literally the exact same ones as he was when he became GM of the Hawks.

Besides, before you praise Dale Tallon you might want to remember that he was demoted from GM of the Hawks after he forgot to give QOs to his RFAs, costing the Hawks in cap space after he managed to get them all signed but only after paying inflated prices for them. So, not exactly a blameless man there, either.