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

[Oi'll say!]

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.

Ryan Johansen is a big, strong 2-way center. Think Ryan Kesler with more size or Trevor Linden.

On a team without an above average defense, and with just pedestrian wingers (Horton didn't even play half a season) Ryan Johansen had a dominant season.

Look at that roster and think about which one player did the most to help them make the playoffs...

1 ppg and a -2 in 6 playoff games vs the Pens at 21 yr old, I don't think that's a player who doesn't deserve to be in the conversation.

 

[Oi'll say!]

^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....

Hall has been having success, it's no big deal that this conversation comes up.

It's the off-season and there's not much else that's Oiler-related to talk about.


Landy over Nuge would never have happened with Hall here but if we had drafted Seguin it could have been a different story. IMO the Oilers should have taken a center the first chance they got to pick 1st overall. You can never count on getting a second chance to take a #1 as good as Tyler Seguin, and noone wins a cup without an elite #1 center.

 

[McKappa]

I think we made all the right picks. Even for Yakupov, people are going to look so stupid when he scores 60 points next year.

The one pick I may edit is Nurse at 2013, but Ramus has a lower ceiling so I wouldn't say it was a bad pick yet. In any case, it probably won't be a bad pick anyhow.

 

[ConnorMcNugesaitl]

I think we made all the right picks. Even for Yakupov, people are going to look so stupid when he scores 60 points next year.

The one pick I may edit is Nurse at 2013, but Ramus has a lower ceiling so I wouldn't say it was a bad pick yet. In any case, it probably won't be a bad pick anyhow.

I'm sure we all would've liked Monahan to slip to the Oil but the Flames grabbed him and those are the breaks. I do think with Nurse it'll take about 3 years to really know what it is.

 

[Up the Irons]

I think we made all the right picks. Even for Yakupov, people are going to look so stupid when he scores 60 points next year.

The one pick I may edit is Nurse at 2013, but Ramus has a lower ceiling so I wouldn't say it was a bad pick yet. In any case, it probably won't be a bad pick anyhow.

I will gladly look stupid if he scores 60. OTOh, I seriously doubt he does that.

 

[landy92mack29]

what would oiler fans reaction be if eberle was traded for 1st pick and later pick?
-eberle
+ekblad
+Bennett/draisaitl
thoughts

 

[GretzkytoKurri9917]

Ryan Johansen is a big, strong 2-way center. Think Ryan Kesler with more size or Trevor Linden.

On a team without an above average defense, and with just pedestrian wingers (Horton didn't even play half a season) Ryan Johansen had a dominant season.

Look at that roster and think about which one player did the most to help them make the playoffs...

1 ppg and a -2 in 6 playoff games vs the Pens at 21 yr old, I don't think that's a player who doesn't deserve to be in the conversation.

There was a poll done awhile back involving these 3 and Johansen got blown way out.


5% for Johansen
95% between Hall and Seguin


Johansen has a ways to go before he's in the Seguin and Hall group.

 

[Mc5RingsAndABeer]

what would oiler fans reaction be if eberle was traded for 1st pick and later pick?
-eberle
+ekblad
+Bennett/draisaitl
thoughts

I'd do it, but I'm lower on Eberle than most on this forum

 

[Up the Irons]

what would oiler fans reaction be if eberle was traded for 1st pick and later pick?
-eberle
+ekblad
+Bennett/draisaitl
thoughts

I don't do that. It's a step backwards. I only trade Ederle for a top pairing D or a good 2c, and both have to be between the age of 23-29.

 

[Oi'll say!]

There was a poll done awhile back involving these 3 and Johansen got blown way out.


5% for Johansen
95% between Hall and Seguin


Johansen has a ways to go before he's in the Seguin and Hall group.

If I could only pick one I wouldn't pick Johansen either, but I wouldn't bet money that I couldn't afford to lose on the relative success of their careers either. Johansen just had a phenominal season. Six more goals than Hall this season and he was up on Hall by +18. He was also the team leader on a team that made the playoffs.

I think adding Johansen to the poll was reasonable, two years from now it could go either way.

 

[Up the Irons]

If I could only pick one I wouldn't pick Johansen either, but I wouldn't bet money that I couldn't afford to lose on the relative success of their careers either. Johansen just had a phenominal season. Six more goals than Hall this season and he was up on Hall by +18. He was also the team leader on a team that made the playoffs.

I think adding Johansen to the poll was reasonable, two years from now it could go either way.

Is he catching up? sure. but in 2010, as an 18 year old, Johansen didn't show any where near the guaranteed success that Hall and Seguin did at the same age.

 

[Soundwave]

what would oiler fans reaction be if eberle was traded for 1st pick and later pick?
-eberle
+ekblad
+Bennett/draisaitl
thoughts

I think we'd have a lot of problems scoring goals next season. Hall + RNH alone don't play that well together either. It would up our chances at McDavid though.

 

[Bryanbryoil]

I like Johansen but most felt like he was a reach at 4 so even if he ends up the best of the bunch he really shouldn't be included in the discussion IMO. Had we drafted anyone but Hall or Seguin at #1 we would've been ridiculed immensely.

 

[Mr Positive]

I will gladly look stupid if he scores 60. OTOh, I seriously doubt he does that.

People were way too excited about Yak at the start of this past season, putting him at the top of the depth chart and expecting too much of him.

Now it seems nobody thinks he can do anything, which is equally wrong. He's absolutely got it in him to be a 60 point player in a hurry. Hopefully MacT upgrades the team around him to make that assignment easier, but Yakupov is going to start the year as a better player too.

 

[Oi'll say!]

People were way too excited about Yak at the start of this past season, putting him at the top of the depth chart and expecting too much of him.

Now it seems nobody thinks he can do anything, which is equally wrong. He's absolutely got it in him to be a 60 point player in a hurry. Hopefully MacT upgrades the team around him to make that assignment easier, but Yakupov is going to start the year as a better player too.

Hopefully they make a coaching change before they make any major trades. Yak is only one of many players who flopped under Eakins and trading away a 1st overall is harder to undo than firing a bad coach.

 

[Up the Irons]

People were way too excited about Yak at the start of this past season, putting him at the top of the depth chart and expecting too much of him.

Now it seems nobody thinks he can do anything, which is equally wrong. He's absolutely got it in him to be a 60 point player in a hurry. Hopefully MacT upgrades the team around him to make that assignment easier, but Yakupov is going to start the year as a better player too.

He certainly does, but with this coach?.... I'm not so sure. He's trying to turn a race horse into a work horse. I don't even know why they picked him if they thought they had completely change everything about him. Another poster said the Yak situation is the definition of mishandled. They need to to do a better job or get rid of him, or the coach.

It's such a gong show. A talent laden team, and they hire a coach that loves plugs.

 

[Oi'll say!]

I like Johansen but most felt like he was a reach at 4 so even if he ends up the best of the bunch he really shouldn't be included in the discussion IMO. Had we drafted anyone but Hall or Seguin at #1 we would've been ridiculed immensely.

I'm not sure what the discussion was when TSN brought it up. If it was just simply "who is the best from that draft year right now" then his name is ok to be added to that discussion.

If the question was "Which kid should the Oilers have picked" then I agree, Johansen wasn't ever a part of that discussion.

I don't think anyone ever suggested the Oilers should have taken RJ, I'd be bragging like crazy if I made that prediction back in the day (if they allow people in the funny farm to have access to the internet).

 

[Seedling]

The first round picks were the correct ones, even Yakupov.

It's rounds 2-7 that are more of a problem.

This is really it. It's easy to pick a first rounder that high, it's what comes after that can really boost or cost your franchise.

I'm not really high on most of our picks after the first round. You would think one or two true NHL players would have made their way onto the roster with all these years and higher picks. Nope.

Having said that, I like our D pool. It's the forward pool that is lacking in terms of guys that are or should have been ready, including rosters from the last four years to ten years.

 

[insomniac]

All of their first round picks were good except for in 2012. Should have picked Murray instead of Yakupov.

 

[McShogun99]

All of their first round picks were good except for in 2012. Should have picked Murray instead of Yakupov.

If they picked 2nd overall then it would have been acceptable, not 1st OA considering every scouting service had Yakupov 1st OA.

 

[Mr Positive]

He certainly does, but with this coach?.... I'm not so sure. He's trying to turn a race horse into a work horse. I don't even know why they picked him if they thought they had completely change everything about him. Another poster said the Yak situation is the definition of mishandled. They need to to do a better job or get rid of him, or the coach.

It's such a gong show. A talent laden team, and they hire a coach that loves plugs.

there are many things that Eakins did terribly but imho his handling of Yakupov is not one of them. This reminds me of the choice that Yzerman made himself, when his coaches asked him to sacrifice his point totals for the good of the team. He could have been a better pure scorer but chose a different path. Yak doesn't understand this completely but I believe he was making progress which shows that there is some level of buy-in so I don't see a deep issue here.

Eakins has a reputation as being very good with young players. I believe the troubles Yakupov had were a necessary evil to go through. This team won't succeed until every forward can play defense, and every defenseman can play offense. That's the only way to become a real possession team. A lot of fans wanted Eakins to just bend to whatever Yakupov wanted abut this would damage the team in the long term. I don't view this as anti-Yakupov either since he will come out of this a better player.

 

[I am the Liquor]

there are many things that Eakins did terribly but imho his handling of Yakupov is not one of them. This reminds me of the choice that Yzerman made himself, when his coaches asked him to sacrifice his point totals for the good of the team. He could have been a better pure scorer but chose a different path. Yak doesn't understand this completely but I believe he was making progress which shows that there is some level of buy-in so I don't see a deep issue here.

Eakins has a reputation as being very good with young players. I believe the troubles Yakupov had were a necessary evil to go through. This team won't succeed until every forward can play defense, and every defenseman can play offense. That's the only way to become a real possession team. A lot of fans wanted Eakins to just bend to whatever Yakupov wanted abut this would damage the team in the long term. I don't view this as anti-Yakupov either since he will come out of this a better player.

If only we had Eakins back in the eighties. He could have gotten Gretzky to learn defense and could have gotten him to buy in. Instead that idiot Sather let him do whatever he wanted including floating around the red line while the puck were hemmed in his own zone. Just think of how much better the team would have been if Eakins could have gotten Wayne to buy in during those years!

 

[Mr Positive]

If only we had Eakins back in the eighties. He could have gotten Gretzky to learn defense and could have gotten him to buy in. Instead that idiot Sather let him do whatever he wanted including floating around the red line while the puck were hemmed in his own zone. Just think of how much better the team would have been if Eakins could have gotten Wayne to buy in during those years!

Gretzky was underrated defensively and he most definitely used his linemates, and both of these qualities were lacking in Yakupov so I don't see the comparison there. It's also not the 80's anymore and nowadays even the high scoring teams enforce systems on star players if they are to be successful. The teams that have special players who do what they want tend to have problems, like Pittsburgh and Washington with their superstars

 

[Still DRAI]

Gretzky was underrated defensively and he most definitely used his linemates, and both of these qualities were lacking in Yakupov so I don't see the comparison there. It's also not the 80's anymore and nowadays even the high scoring teams enforce systems on star players if they are to be successful. The teams that have special players who do what they want tend to have problems, like Pittsburgh and Washington with their superstars

This is definitely an area of contention, but I'd argue that Washington trying to turn into a defensive, grinding team when they have Ovechkin, and Pittsburgh continuing to play checkers alongside the two best players in the world is a big part of the reason that they've been unsuccessful compared to the amount of talent they possess.

Just from my viewpoint, a team like Chicago rides Keith/Seabrook and Toews hard on defense, but for the most part their offensive weapon Kane is pretty much allowed to run around and produce goals, and that seems to work out for them.

 

[Mc5RingsAndABeer]

If I could only pick one I wouldn't pick Johansen either, but I wouldn't bet money that I couldn't afford to lose on the relative success of their careers either. Johansen just had a phenominal season. Six more goals than Hall this season and he was up on Hall by +18. He was also the team leader on a team that made the playoffs.

I think adding Johansen to the poll was reasonable, two years from now it could go either way.

That +/- isn't that good considering how much better CBJ did as a team.

And I don't get why bringing up team accomplishments has anything to do with this comparison of individual players