NHL Entry Draft 2013
Posted 5:01 PM ET | Comments 3
Everytime around this time of the year, I spend each of my days (and most of their hours) going through what the Edmonton Oilers are going to do on draft day and who they should select.
The Edmonton Oilers, unlike the last 3 years are unfortunatley not in a position to pick the best possible player available in the draft and will rely on the selections on 6 teams (one being the Calgary Flames) to not deviate the Oilers from selecting what they need.
The top 4 projections are out (MacKinnon, Jones, Drouin & Barkov), unless Edmonton trades up in the draft, which they are highly unlikely to do. However, with those 4 players goes 4 selections leaving only 2 teams to pick before Edmonton (considering the Oilers don't trade their pick).
When the Time comes to select (7th overall), Edmonton should select the remaining of either:
Nurse (D)
Nichushkin (RW)
or
Monahan (C)
With Darnell Nurse, the Oilers get a projected top 4 defensemen who is good on both ends of the ice. He has excellent hands and great hockey sense, so good that if the Oilers drafted him, he would be an easy fit into the lineup right away. The Oilers are like a pear when looking at their defence, with Justin Schultz the only projected top liner (with respect to their prospects) and everyone else fitting in as a 3rd defender or less. So they are very Bottom Heavy
Valeri Nichushkin doesn't give the Oilers a piece that they don't already have as on Right Wing they have Jordan Eberle, Nail Yakupov and Ales Hemsky. However, with Hemsky and Khabibulin on their way out, Nichuskin brings in two elements that the oilers will need. He brings another Russian Element to Edmonton (aswell as Belov) that Khabibulin brought making Edmonton more desirable to Russian players and keeping Yakupov wanting to stay in Edmonton, cause lets be honest, Yakupov is disgustingly good. Nichuskin also brings his excellent play making skills with him, making loosing Hemsky and his hands a smaller pill to swallow.
In Sean Monahan the Oilers get their Center, and hopefully one that can win faceoffs on the big stage. From what I have seen (and that's alot), he's just like Nugent-Hopkins which means the Oilers will have a potential 1,2,3 punch on offence. This would be just what Edmonton needs as their organizational depth and secondary scoring failed them this last season. The Calgary flames, from what I have heard are highly interested in him, so him falling to seventh would be impossible and not to mention a draft day crime.
Alteratives: (rumors).
If the Oilers decide to Trade their pick away, they would have a few bids.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are one such team that is as active as Edmonton is and with that comes a plethera of rumors.
Let's be clear here, the Oilers need defence and Toronto has that. Unfortunatly the oilers will not move their first round pick for anyone other than Jake Gardiner or Cody Franson (+). Phanuef is not very well liked by the Edmonton fan base from his days as a flame and he represents a massive cap hit so he is unlikely, and besides Franson, the Oilers are not going to part with a top 10 pick for anyone else because bottom line defencemen is all we have had (and we still have tons of).
If Toronto offered Cody Franson (because they don't want to get rid of Gardiner), their first round pick would also have to be in that deal.
Both sides are expecting the other to lean more towards their favor but luckily for Edmonton, Kevin Lowe isn't the Oilers General Manager anymore.
My favorite rumor for this pick came out of Buffalo, was that of Edmonton's 7th overall pick for Mark Pysyk (D) & Ryan Miller (G). Miller isn't a sure thing, but just having the rights to talk with a goalie who is world class and elite would be a dream come true and worthy of trading the pick. Not to mention if he doesn't sign a contract, Edmonton would still get Pysyk who is well known throughout the organization from playing his junior career in Edmonton for the Oil Kings.
In the Second round, the Oilers should select (who in my opinion is) the best goalie in the draft in Tristan Jarry. He didn't get the same recognition as Fucale because he was on the same team as Calgary Flames prospect Laurent Brossoit and was subject to backup duty (to which he was absolutley dominant). On any other team in the Central Division in the WHL and most teams in the league, Jarry would have been a number one. The Oilers need to select him if he is still available, as he is only 18 years old and looks to be a potential NHL star. The only other goalie that I have given a recommendation for was that of Saskatoon Blades goalie (at the time) Braden Holtby and I don't give recommendations easily.
The Edmonton Oilers, unlike the last 3 years are unfortunatley not in a position to pick the best possible player available in the draft and will rely on the selections on 6 teams (one being the Calgary Flames) to not deviate the Oilers from selecting what they need.
The top 4 projections are out (MacKinnon, Jones, Drouin & Barkov), unless Edmonton trades up in the draft, which they are highly unlikely to do. However, with those 4 players goes 4 selections leaving only 2 teams to pick before Edmonton (considering the Oilers don't trade their pick).
When the Time comes to select (7th overall), Edmonton should select the remaining of either:
Nurse (D)
Nichushkin (RW)
or
Monahan (C)
With Darnell Nurse, the Oilers get a projected top 4 defensemen who is good on both ends of the ice. He has excellent hands and great hockey sense, so good that if the Oilers drafted him, he would be an easy fit into the lineup right away. The Oilers are like a pear when looking at their defence, with Justin Schultz the only projected top liner (with respect to their prospects) and everyone else fitting in as a 3rd defender or less. So they are very Bottom Heavy
Valeri Nichushkin doesn't give the Oilers a piece that they don't already have as on Right Wing they have Jordan Eberle, Nail Yakupov and Ales Hemsky. However, with Hemsky and Khabibulin on their way out, Nichuskin brings in two elements that the oilers will need. He brings another Russian Element to Edmonton (aswell as Belov) that Khabibulin brought making Edmonton more desirable to Russian players and keeping Yakupov wanting to stay in Edmonton, cause lets be honest, Yakupov is disgustingly good. Nichuskin also brings his excellent play making skills with him, making loosing Hemsky and his hands a smaller pill to swallow.
In Sean Monahan the Oilers get their Center, and hopefully one that can win faceoffs on the big stage. From what I have seen (and that's alot), he's just like Nugent-Hopkins which means the Oilers will have a potential 1,2,3 punch on offence. This would be just what Edmonton needs as their organizational depth and secondary scoring failed them this last season. The Calgary flames, from what I have heard are highly interested in him, so him falling to seventh would be impossible and not to mention a draft day crime.
Alteratives: (rumors).
If the Oilers decide to Trade their pick away, they would have a few bids.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are one such team that is as active as Edmonton is and with that comes a plethera of rumors.
Let's be clear here, the Oilers need defence and Toronto has that. Unfortunatly the oilers will not move their first round pick for anyone other than Jake Gardiner or Cody Franson (+). Phanuef is not very well liked by the Edmonton fan base from his days as a flame and he represents a massive cap hit so he is unlikely, and besides Franson, the Oilers are not going to part with a top 10 pick for anyone else because bottom line defencemen is all we have had (and we still have tons of).
If Toronto offered Cody Franson (because they don't want to get rid of Gardiner), their first round pick would also have to be in that deal.
Both sides are expecting the other to lean more towards their favor but luckily for Edmonton, Kevin Lowe isn't the Oilers General Manager anymore.
My favorite rumor for this pick came out of Buffalo, was that of Edmonton's 7th overall pick for Mark Pysyk (D) & Ryan Miller (G). Miller isn't a sure thing, but just having the rights to talk with a goalie who is world class and elite would be a dream come true and worthy of trading the pick. Not to mention if he doesn't sign a contract, Edmonton would still get Pysyk who is well known throughout the organization from playing his junior career in Edmonton for the Oil Kings.
In the Second round, the Oilers should select (who in my opinion is) the best goalie in the draft in Tristan Jarry. He didn't get the same recognition as Fucale because he was on the same team as Calgary Flames prospect Laurent Brossoit and was subject to backup duty (to which he was absolutley dominant). On any other team in the Central Division in the WHL and most teams in the league, Jarry would have been a number one. The Oilers need to select him if he is still available, as he is only 18 years old and looks to be a potential NHL star. The only other goalie that I have given a recommendation for was that of Saskatoon Blades goalie (at the time) Braden Holtby and I don't give recommendations easily.
good blog. Nichuskins a left wing though so he would fit perfectly with Gagner and Yakupov.
Nichushkin is a left wing
I would do franson first for the 7th. Draft lindholm or monahan. We would need to sign a UFA D though