Did the Oilers make the right draft picks in the last 5 years?

[GretzkytoKurri9917]

No one can honestly call me biased against Hall because I was a very big supporter of his during the draft of 2010.

 

[Jumptheshark]

2009

The Pick: Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson

Consensus BPA: Paajarvi Svensson was definitely the BPA at the time. When MacKenzie released his final pre-draft list, he had MPS as the #10 pick, but the idea was that nobody thought it would ever happen and that if it did, it would be a major steal.

In the Range: Leading up to the draft, most people thought we'd probably end up with whichever one of Glennie or Kulikov fell to us. Glennie was gone at 7, but Kulikov was available. Names like Moore, Ellis, and Schroeder were discussed as possibilities, but for the most part Kulikov and Glennie were the guys that we were hoping for.

Who We Should've Picked: While Ryan O'Reilly is probably the best player to come out of that draft after #10, he was a projected 2nd rounder who did go in the 2nd so I didn't include him (even though he wasn't an option for our 2nd pick). Kulikov probably would've ended up the better pick, and Leddy has developed well too, but would we have been able to trade for Perron if we didn't have Paajarvi? I'm not sure, and I also think I'd rather have Perron than those two defensemen. An argument could be made for a couple of guys, but I prefer what we ended up with.



2010

The Pick: Taylor Hall

Consensus BPA: Despite all the Taylor/Tyler debating that took place, I'd say Hall was definitely the front-runner all along. I'm confident that there would've been no debate at all if Seguin was a winger.

In the Range: It was a two-horse race. Taylor or Tyler. One was going to go #1 and the other would go #2. #3 was a distant 3rd.

Who We Should've Picked: Taylor Hall. We definitely took the right player. That's not a shot at Seguin at all, but I would take Taylor 10 times out of 10.



2011

The Pick: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins

Consensus BPA: RNH was ranked #1 pretty much everywhere. But that's not to say there wasn't debate.

In the Range: Couturier, Landeskog, Huberdeau, and Larsson were all talked about as legitimate contenders for the top spot. The year prior it was seen as a two-horse race between Couturier and Larsson, but by draft day, Couturier had fallen in the public eye. Most likely due to a defensive role at the WJC and a bout of mono. Huberdeau shot up the charts over the course of the year.

Who We Should've Picked: I think I still take RNH at the end of the day, but lordy that Landeskog is a player. I like Couturier too, but I think the top 2 picks made in this draft year were the right ones.



2012

The Pick: Nail Yakupov

Consensus BPA: Yakupov. There really wasn't a realistic second option at the time.

In the Range: Even though Yakupov was the top rated player everywhere, there was still talk of guys like Murray, Galchenyuk, and Grigorenko. Forsberg was in some discussions, but not at all at the level of the others. Before we won the lottery, there were basically two camps here. The Murray group and the Grigorenko supporters. This is because everyone knew there was no chance Yakupov wouldn't go #1 overall.

Who We Should've Picked: I'm in the minority, but I still say Yakupov. It's a shame the BPA was another winger, but I still think he ends up the best player in this draft. One bad season not withstanding. And I'm not even blaming the coach on this. Yakupov struggled out of the gate with some bad luck and it snowballed from there. If some of those early bounces went in, I'm sure we would've seen a much different season from him. Success breeds confidence and a lack of confidence can seep into other areas of a player's game. This isn't something that's uncommon among young players, especially ones as passionate as Nail. Overall, I'm sure he'll be fine.

Murray was a close second in my books and was the guy I would have taken based on the fac the Oilers had Eberle at RW already and were in need of a d-man with the upside of Murray

 

[Up the Irons]

If you ask the question: Taylor vs Tyler to an Oilers fan the answer is 85% to 95% Taylor Hall.


If you ask the question:Taylor vs Tyler to NHL Hockey Fans that aren't Oilers fans the answer is 50/50 for Hall and Seguin.

that's believable. they are pretty close. both damn good players, just as was projected. but, in this environment, I would bet Seguin would be more of a little be-otch then Hall.

 

[Up the Irons]

Regardless of whom the Oil were to take, they had 3 first overall picks, so they were getting 3 top end prospects regardless of which one they took. The only one that was questionable was Yak vrs Murray, because it was flash vrs need, but even that one still shouldn't have been enough to sink the club.

I think, as time passes, it is becoming more and more evident, that it is the Oilers' handling of these players, and not the players themselves, that is the biggest problem. From giving them too much responsibility too early, to the many coaching changes, to finally sticking with the weakest and least experienced of the 3 coaches, they have really done a number on these boys.

I mean, look at Gagner. Can anyone deny that they have completely ---ked up this asset? A 6th overall pick, just entering his prime years, and they will be lucky if they get more than a 2nd round pick for him. Inconceivable and unforgivable.

 

[Oilers4life1987]

2010 : Hall all the way
2011 : Nuge hands down. Will take more time to develop cause of injury but hopefully he puts the time in this summer and pays off in a big way next year.
2012: I wanted either Murray or Galchenyuk but Yak was the BPA at the time. I still think it's way too early to start writing him off as I wasn't a fan of how he was treated. As much as I like our kid line: Hall -Nuge - Ebs, they'd often make mistakes and weren't treated like Yak. so shame on Eakins for doing that, you have to play to our team strenghts. Hopefully, the trade Gags for a reliable 2-way C that can make up for Yaks defensive miscues.

 

[I am the Liquor]

Regardless of whom the Oil were to take, they had 3 first overall picks, so they were getting 3 top end prospects regardless of which one they took. The only one that was questionable was Yak vrs Murray, because it was flash vrs need, but even that one still shouldn't have been enough to sink the club.

I think, as time passes, it is becoming more and more evident, that it is the Oilers' handling of these players, and not the players themselves, that is the biggest problem. From giving them too much responsibility too early, to the many coaching changes, to finally sticking with the weakest and least experienced of the 3 coaches, they have really done a number on these boys.

I mean, look at Gagner. Can anyone deny that they have completely ---ked up this asset? A 6th overall pick, just entering his prime years, and they will be lucky if they get more than a 2nd round pick for him. Inconceivable and unforgivable.

I brought up the idea of trading him a couple years ago, you know, when he had value, but was shouted down by those who said "He's only twenty two" or "He is showing improvement" etc.


Pfffffft.

 

[GretzkytoKurri9917]

I brought up the idea of trading him a couple years ago, you know, when he had value, but was shouted down by those who said "He's only twenty two" or "He is showing improvement" etc.


Pfffffft.

You have to drink the ol' kool-aid or else,gtfo!

 

[Up the Irons]

I brought up the idea of trading him a couple years ago, you know, when he had value, but was shouted down by those who said "He's only twenty two" or "He is showing improvement" etc.


Pfffffft.

i remember. the Oil always either hold their ace too long or play it too early. There are very few examples (Paajari, I suppose) of them playing a situation perfectly. Perfectly, would have been trading the Yak pick at the draft or last summer. Yes, i know, a good trade may not have been there, blah, blah, blah. Good managers get things done, bad ones make excuses. Now, we have only one choice and one hope: keep him and hope.... HOPE.... he can find his game in spite of a coach that hates everything about him.

 

[Everest]

It might be smart to wait another half or even full season before bringing the jury in from sequester on Yakupov. I'd say he played like a rookie. And he pretty much was.

On RNH...In his first camp...I said he needed to go back to JR no matter what. I said he was too small/weak and needed time to concentrate on building his playing frame.

I was told he had already put on a bunch of weight. I said the weight he was listed at should be scrutinized. I was told....uhhh...I don't even know what the board had to say about that.

Any-hoo...here we are. RNH has been weak at times...and in comparison to Landeskog...wow...its incredible how much of a "mans game" Landeskog possesses at such a ripe age. Hate to admit it...but...looks like we took the wrong wonder-kid on that one.

You can always turn it around and extend to evaluation for another year or two...but...because the Oilers were so dead set on having the pick play at the NHL level...its tragic they missed on the guy who was clearly more NHL ready. And how likely is it RNH bends the curve back in his favour? Less than 50% I am sure.


On Hall<>Seguin: I'm going to stick with Hall. I think Seguin might have had a slightly more productive season...but...he also fell into very good fortune playing with Benn. And call me old fashion...but...Im glad Hall doesn't have pictures of himself shirtless in a nightclub...floating around the internet. One guy has a chance to be a decent Captain. The other "BOY" has a chance to end up getting a DUI or a POA charge. Seriously.

 

[ManofSteel55]

The drafting has been good. The development has been okay as well, I think a lot of fans have unrealistic expectations regarding how many prospects actually make the transition successfully from junior > AHL and then from AHL > NHL.

 

[Oilfan2]

It might be smart to wait another half or even full season before bringing the jury in from sequester on Yakupov. I'd say he played like a rookie. And he pretty much was.

On RNH...In his first camp...I said he needed to go back to JR no matter what. I said he was too small/weak and needed time to concentrate on building his playing frame.

I was told he had already put on a bunch of weight. I said the weight he was listed at should be scrutinized. I was told....uhhh...I don't even know what the board had to say about that.

Any-hoo...here we are. RNH has been weak at times...and in comparison to Landeskog...wow...its incredible how much of a "mans game" Landeskog possesses at such a ripe age. Hate to admit it...but...looks like we took the wrong wonder-kid on that one.

You can always turn it around and extend to evaluation for another year or two...but...because the Oilers were so dead set on having the pick play at the NHL level...its tragic they missed on the guy who was clearly more NHL ready. And how likely is it RNH bends the curve back in his favour? Less than 50% I am sure.


On Hall<>Seguin: I'm going to stick with Hall. I think Seguin might have had a slightly more productive season...but...he also fell into very good fortune playing with Benn. And call me old fashion...but...Im glad Hall doesn't have pictures of himself shirtless in a nightclub...floating around the internet. One guy has a chance to be a decent Captain. The other "BOY" has a chance to end up getting a DUI or a POA charge. Seriously.

I think you'll find, as early as next season, the Oilers made the right choice with RNH. He will play a very important role for the future as the Oiler's #1 center and will outscore Landeskog. His shoulder injury (from junior) set him back a year or so but starting next season, he'll rise through the ranks of the NHL and will challenge as a top 20 center very quickly.

 

[GretzkytoKurri9917]

I still laugh at how TSN included Johansen for their poll awhile back.


1st overall:

Taylor Hall

vs

Tyler Seguin

vs

Ryan Johansen




One player doesn't belong,and it's quite obvious.

 

[Moose Coleman]

Any-hoo...here we are. RNH has been weak at times...and in comparison to Landeskog...wow...its incredible how much of a "mans game" Landeskog possesses at such a ripe age. Hate to admit it...but...looks like we took the wrong wonder-kid on that one.

You can always turn it around and extend to evaluation for another year or two...but...because the Oilers were so dead set on having the pick play at the NHL level...its tragic they missed on the guy who was clearly more NHL ready. And how likely is it RNH bends the curve back in his favour? Less than 50% I am sure.

Based on what exactly? He's outscored Landeskog (on a points per game basis). he's six month younger than GL as well. This is the first season since RNH went pro that he'll be able to really work at gaining a bit of strength. Landeskog has 20lbs and some "intangibles," but RNH is the more cerebral player. There's not as big a gap between these two as you think.

 

[Everest]

Based on what exactly? He's outscored Landeskog (on a points per game basis). he's six month younger than GL as well. This is the first season since RNH went pro that he'll be able to really work at gaining a bit of strength. Landeskog has 20lbs and some "intangibles," but RNH is the more cerebral player. There's not as big a gap between these two as you think.

Based on the observation that Landeskog does everything better than RNH.

And no...not by a lot.

But...its the physical part of the game which the Oilers are so lacking in the top 6...and to think...they could've drafted a guy who is playing that way/playing at that size....right out of JR?!

Your doing exactly what I said we "could" do...extending the evaluation curve.

Sure...RNH can (and must) get stronger. He probably will.

Thing is...Landeskog is likely to always be the bigger/stronger player. The Nuge will need to depend on smarts/quickness (which Landeskog also possesses)

To me...its painfully evident...Landeskog would've been the better pick up to this point.

 

[Oilfan2]

Based on the observation that Landeskog does everything better than RNH.

And no...not by a lot.

But...its the physical part of the game which the Oilers are so lacking in the top 6...and to think...they could've drafted a guy who is playing that way/playing at that size....right out of JR?!

Your doing exactly what I said we "could" do...extending the evaluation curve.

Sure...RNH can (and must) get stronger. He probably will.

Thing is...Landeskog is likely to always be the bigger/stronger player. The Nuge will need to depend on smarts/quickness (which Landeskog also possesses)

To me...its painfully evident...Landeskog would've been the better pick up to this point.

Sure but up to this point it really wouldn't have mattered. It's not like they would have finished in the playoffs with Landeskog over RNH.

However, in the near future, RNH will be the more important player for the Oil. It was a good pick.

 

[Everest]

Sure but up to this point it really wouldn't have mattered. It's not like they would have finished in the playoffs with Landeskog over RNH.

However, in the near future, RNH will be the more important player for the Oil. It was a good pick.

That's not the way its trending.

 

[ManByng]

^I don't like these kinds of conversations, you know, second guessing because we aren't having success yet? Landeskog over Nuge would have given us Horc, Lander, Gordon and Gagner at center....what a mess that would have been!! but we would have had Skog and Ebs on the wings, and would Landeskog have scored like he did playing with our #1 center....wait for it....Sam Gagner? how much complaining would we be hearing now that the Oilers should have taken the BPA at the time and clearly the best center in The Nuge?

with Nail, I actually was hoping at the time we DIDN'T get the #1 pick in this draft because I felt that we needed the best d-man, Murray, or the best center, Galchenyk, worse than another winger. but to be honest, neither Murray nor Galchenyk would have made any more of a difference than Nail has.

2010, Hall all the way, end of story. maybe Hall and Seguin are as close to equal players as you can get right now, but Hall was the BPA at the time.

2009, I thought we had hit the jackpot with big and apparently talented winger Paajarvi falling to us at #10. now i'm thinking what did the other teams that passed on him know that we didn't? because he sure doesn't look like no #10 pick, that's for sure! and people that whine about us "giving up" on him or any other prospect or young roster player who may be traded at the draft or over the summer needs to remember in order to get quality, you have to give quality. so far at least, we have won hands down the Paajarvi for Perron trade.

 

[Aerchon]

I always find the revisionists that come out on these topics amusing.

We took the clear cut #1 consensus pick in every draft. The draft that was the most consensus was actually the Yak draft and the revisionists seem to pick on that one the most because of Yaks poor softmore showing.

Murray was not a close second. Yaks elite shot and offensive instincts were off the charts compared to anyone else in the draft and even beat out the "Russian factor" to remain the clear cut #1.

Edmonton needed D badly so there was talk they would go off the board for Murray but everyone would have thought that a pretty big stretch.

I do think as first overalls go Yak has a long way to go to meet expectations and really looks to be a bust in that regard. But as a player in general I think he will be a great sniper in this league for as long as he stays in the NHL and still is most likely to be the best player in that weak draft class.

 

[Everest]

^I don't like these kinds of conversations, you know, second guessing because we aren't having success yet? Landeskog over Nuge would have given us Horc, Lander, Gordon and Gagner at center....what a mess that would have been!! but we would have had Skog and Ebs on the wings, and would Landeskog have scored like he did playing with our #1 center....wait for it....Sam Gagner? how much complaining would we be hearing now that the Oilers should have taken the BPA at the time and clearly the best center in The Nuge?

with Nail, I actually was hoping at the time we DIDN'T get the #1 pick in this draft because I felt that we needed the best d-man, Murray, or the best center, Galchenyk, worse than another winger. but to be honest, neither Murray nor Galchenyk would have made any more of a difference than Nail has.

2010, Hall all the way, end of story. maybe Hall and Seguin are as close to equal players as you can get right now, but Hall was the BPA at the time.

2009, I thought we had hit the jackpot with big and apparently talented winger Paajarvi falling to us at #10. now i'm thinking what did the other teams that passed on him know that we didn't? because he sure doesn't look like no #10 pick, that's for sure! and people that whine about us "giving up" on him or any other prospect or young roster player who may be traded at the draft or over the summer needs to remember in order to get quality, you have to give quality. so far at least, we have won hands down the Paajarvi for Perron trade.

Lots of hypotheticals. Whether you realize it or not.

I am a huge fan of 93. I can live with the guy on our team and I think there are ways to get bigger/better without going back in a time machine and drafting Landeskog instead.

Im just sayin...I think COL has the better player right now.

Super-simple.

 

[Mr Positive]

Murray was a close second in my books and was the guy I would have taken based on the fac the Oilers had Eberle at RW already and were in need of a d-man with the upside of Murray

It's not like scoring depth doesn't fill a need though. Plus, if you look at that offseason, we ended up with Justin Schultz and Yakupov, which was considered a huge win. One could argue that drafting Yak, along with trading Gilbert, opened up the spot that made us a more attractive destination for Schultz.

If you believe in rumours, it was said that the Schultz camp even contacted us before the draft to tell them not to take a lesser player (Murray) just because we needed D. That would have been tampering btw.

I have no doubt that we made the right move getting Yakupov. We drafted Nurse the following year, who will be a similar player, maybe better than Murray. Yakupov will find his game and once that happens this won't even be a question.

 

[ManofSteel55]

Lots of hypotheticals. Whether you realize it or not.

I am a huge fan of 93. I can live with the guy on our team and I think there are ways to get bigger/better without going back in a time machine and drafting Landeskog instead.

Im just sayin...I think COL has the better player right now.

Super-simple.

Right now, after RNH had a bad season, yes, I think you are right. But for our team, already having Hall on the LW, RNH made way more sense. Yes, we still need a power forward, but if we had drafted Landeskog, we would have been running with Arcobello as our #1 center for a good portion of the season (after Gagner's injury). Yikes.

 

[Everest]

Right now, after RNH had a bad season, yes, I think you are right. But for our team, already having Hall on the LW, RNH made way more sense. Yes, we still need a power forward, but if we had drafted Landeskog, we would have been running with Arcobello as our #1 center for a good portion of the season (after Gagner's injury). Yikes.

Meh. We could've drafted Seguin instead of Hall if you want to go that route.

 

[SWARM]

Murray was a close second in my books and was the guy I would have taken based on the fac the Oilers had Eberle at RW already and were in need of a d-man with the upside of Murray

Murray's upside at the draft was decent all round ability, but lacking any dominant attribute... The scouts and analysist's repeatedly stated Murray would be an NHL defencemen but lacked the top end potential. Not exactly someone you take first overall in my opinion, I don't care how desperate this team is for d-men, Yakupov was the right pick. You don't take a "decent" player first overall, you take the player with game breaking potential and that was and still is Yakupov! Christ the guy has had one and a half seasons, cut him some slack! Not you specifically lol, I'm referring to the general consensus around here.

 

[ManByng]

Lots of hypotheticals. Whether you realize it or not.

I am a huge fan of 93. I can live with the guy on our team and I think there are ways to get bigger/better without going back in a time machine and drafting Landeskog instead.

Im just sayin...I think COL has the better player right now.

Super-simple.

^yup, Skog has blossomed in Colorado, hasn't he? and like the Taylor/Tyler debate, the Oilers couldn't have gone wrong with either of Nuge/Skog. but at the time, because we didn't take a center in Seguin, this team really did "need" to take a center and took what many scouts at the time said was the BPA....Nuge. but one has to think of how strong the center position would be if we had Seguin and Nuge down the middle! or even Seguin and Landeskog on the same line! dare to dream I guess, and I hate to say it but we still need to be patient. if Ebs, Nail and Nuge can ever play as consistently well as Hall has, we should be fine down the road, it's just going to take more time.

 

[Moose Coleman]

Based on the observation that Landeskog does everything better than RNH.

Does everything better and yet barely outscores the 98lb weakling with a broken flipper.

Your doing exactly what I said we "could" do...extending the evaluation curve.

And given the ages of the players involved, what's wrong with that?

Sure...RNH can (and must) get stronger. He probably will.

Thing is...Landeskog is likely to always be the bigger/stronger player. The Nuge will need to depend on smarts/quickness (which Landeskog also possesses)

To me...its painfully evident...Landeskog would've been the better pick up to this point.

And look how much more he's achieved.