There is no question that the Edmonton Oilers were the big losers at this year’s NHL Draft Lottery. The hope going in was to either win the lottery outright or hold their position at No. 2 but to be perfectly honest, sliding down a slot would have even been an acceptable outcome for Peter Chiarelli. After all, this year’s Entry Draft was always supposed to be about three players; Auston Matthews, Patrick Laine, and Jesse Puljujarvi. As long as one of them found their way to Edmonton, there would be no problems.
With rumours surrounding the potential trading of Montreal Canadiens defenceman P.K. Subban taking the hockey world by storm over the last 24 hours, it should surprise no one that the Edmonton Oilers were linked as the team most interested in acquiring the flamboyant rearguard. While it has certainly added a rather interesting dimension leading into tonight’s 2016 NHL Entry Draft, the focus should remain on what direction Peter Chiarelli and company decide to go in with the fourth overall pick.
There has arguably been no player in recent Edmonton Oilers history that has created as a much a divide among the fan base as Nail Yakupov. After being selected first overall in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft and putting together a fairly productive rookie campaign, the sky appeared to be the limit for the former Sarina Sting standout. Yet here we are, four years later and Edmonton is on the verge of moving the 22-year old in a trade that will likely net this organization a rather underwhelming return.
The NHL released its 2016-17 schedule on Tuesday and while there was never going to be any surprises when it came to match-ups, as it is the same drill each and every year, there was something that stood out as a bit of a headscratcher. While it may not seem like that big of a deal to fans in the United States, the fact the Edmonton Oilers and Toronto Maple Leafs do not square off on Hockey Night in Canada in either one of their two meetings is rather perplexing.
