At the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, the Edmonton Oilers had the opportunity to alter their franchise in arguably the most impactful way with a single decision since drafting Connor McDavid first overall in 2015.
Heading into the draft, the Oilers held the 20th overall selection. According to many outlets, Swedish netminder Jesper Wallstedt was a top-10 talent and the star goaltender of the entire draft. This put him far outside the club's expected range but that all changed on the draft floor.
The netminder fit the bill for exactly what the Oilers have needed for years, possibly decades. The team has had homegrown goaltenders in recent years like the current and much maligned Stuart Skinner. There was also Devan Dubnyk who evidently became a star once he left Oil Country. It takes years to go back and find a true franchise goalie, with the closest player fitting the bill being Grant Fuhr who the Oilers drafted eighth overall at the 1981 NHL Draft.
However, the Oilers opted not to pick the potentially franchise altering keeper, instead trading down to picks with the Wild for the 22nd overall and the 90th overall selections. The Oilers grabbed Xavier Bourgault and Lucas Muenzenberger with each pick, respectively. Neither player is currently in the organization and to be frank, the NHL prospects of either player at this stage appears to be quite low.
Predictably, the Wild took the goalie and now are reaping all the rewards for it and the Oilers got a front row seat to watch the man they passed on shut the door on their high powered offence.
Wallstedt lives up to his name, blanks Oilers
Heading into the game, Wallstedt had a 7-0-2 record in nine games played this season, having recorded three shutouts. After Tuesday's game against the Oilers, he improved to an 8-0-2 record, recording his fourth shutout of the season, stopping all 33 shots he faced.
Through 10 games, the goalie has a 1.74 goals against average and a .944 save percentage and has been red hot. At just 23, he looks primed to be a starting goaltender in the NHL for a long time, meanwhile the Oilers are having new rumours circulate daily about their situation in net.
Although the past two games have created some optimism as Skinner has stopped 49 of 50 shots he has faced through six periods and has had his best stretch this season. It would be a welcomed surprise should he successfully flip the script on the season and turn around the Oilers' fortunes.
The Oilers also heavily outplayed the Wild by multiple metrics, including shots and expected goals. Using the moneypuck.com "Deserve To Win O'Meter" for the game, the Oilers would have won 62.9% of the time.
For many fans, this likely rubs salt in the wound for what could have been at the 2021 NHL Draft.