@NHLDraftTalk takes a look at what should be the Edmonton Oilers' draft day game plan for the first 3 rounds of the draft.
If you didn't know that the Oilers will be selecting Connor McDavid come June 26th then it would be safe to assume you've been living under a rock for the past few months. He's their saviour, and that's not an exaggeration. There have been very few players over the past 100 years who have legitimately changed the NHL, but Connor McDavid is the next one to do so. There's no question marks around the number one pick, but after that it gets interesting. With six picks in the first three rounds Peter Chiarelli and Co. will have a lot of prospects to choose from.
Gameplan:
With a new regime in place it's obvious there will be changes, and these changes may be at the expense of a few draft picks. With that in mind, it's safe to assume that the Oil won't be using all six picks. There's still some massive holes in net and along the blue line, and with a top heavy draft teams may be looking to pick up a few more picks in the top 90.
Looking at prospects specifically two things stick out: Lack of right handed defenceman, and lack of depth on the wings. Luckily for the Oilers this draft is littered with talented wingers and even has a few right handed defenceman in the mix.
Here's a look at the best case scenario for the Edmonton Oilers at this years draft.
1. Connor McDavid - C - 6'1 189 lbs - Erie Otters (OHL)
Need i say anymore? He's the best. That's it.
16. Jeremy Roy - RD - 6'0 183 lbs - Sherbrooke Phoenix (QMHJL)
I would like to pencil in Timo Meiers name in this spot, however I find it highly unlikely he'd be available past the 15th pick. There's some good prospects in White, Merkley, Harkins who will be available in this area but the focus needs to shift to defence and Jeremy Roy is a good starting point.
33. Denis Guryanov - LW - 6'2 192 lbs - Lada Togliatti (KHL)
Tons of options at 33. Best case scenario is that Guryanov is passed over in the first and makes it past two picks in the second. I believe it's too early to grab a goalie given who's available in net, but if Guryanov is gone the Oil would have to consider Filip Ahl, Nicolas Meloche (an extremely underrated puck moving defenceman with grit), and Zachary Senyshyn.
57. Daniel Vladar - G - 6'5 185 lbs - HC Kladno (Czech U20)
Tough to say who's going to be available this far into the second round, but Vladar would be a great pick up at 57. He has an ideal frame for a goaltender, and with lots of room on the depth chart he'd have a good shot at playing pro very soon.
79. Callum Booth - G - 6'3 196 lbs - Quebec Remparts (QMJHL)
Two goalies with consecutive picks? Why? Well by taking Booth at 79, you really create a deep prospect pool in net, similar to that of Nashville. That gives them leeway at the position for the next 3 years, where drafting goalies won't be a necessity. There's a few players who stand out in this range including Foley, Gropp, and Kolesar.
86. Erik Cernak - RD - 6'3 203 lbs - HC Kosice (Slovakia)
Ladislav Smid.. I mean Erik Cernak is an intriguing prospect. His ability in his own zone as well as his strength in shutting down the other teams key players is quite impressive. A true defensive defenceman isn't something you find a lot of in today's game.
All in all, the Oilers, like every team, have weaknesses they need to address. By using all their picks, their prospect pool becomes one of the best in the NHL, and though it's unlikely that happens there's still a chance you see the Oilers make 3 or 4 picks in the top 90.
Thanks for reading! You can follow me on Twitter @NHLDraftTalk and don't forget to comment below!
Gameplan:
With a new regime in place it's obvious there will be changes, and these changes may be at the expense of a few draft picks. With that in mind, it's safe to assume that the Oil won't be using all six picks. There's still some massive holes in net and along the blue line, and with a top heavy draft teams may be looking to pick up a few more picks in the top 90.
Looking at prospects specifically two things stick out: Lack of right handed defenceman, and lack of depth on the wings. Luckily for the Oilers this draft is littered with talented wingers and even has a few right handed defenceman in the mix.
Here's a look at the best case scenario for the Edmonton Oilers at this years draft.
1. Connor McDavid - C - 6'1 189 lbs - Erie Otters (OHL)
Need i say anymore? He's the best. That's it.
16. Jeremy Roy - RD - 6'0 183 lbs - Sherbrooke Phoenix (QMHJL)
I would like to pencil in Timo Meiers name in this spot, however I find it highly unlikely he'd be available past the 15th pick. There's some good prospects in White, Merkley, Harkins who will be available in this area but the focus needs to shift to defence and Jeremy Roy is a good starting point.
33. Denis Guryanov - LW - 6'2 192 lbs - Lada Togliatti (KHL)
Tons of options at 33. Best case scenario is that Guryanov is passed over in the first and makes it past two picks in the second. I believe it's too early to grab a goalie given who's available in net, but if Guryanov is gone the Oil would have to consider Filip Ahl, Nicolas Meloche (an extremely underrated puck moving defenceman with grit), and Zachary Senyshyn.
57. Daniel Vladar - G - 6'5 185 lbs - HC Kladno (Czech U20)
Tough to say who's going to be available this far into the second round, but Vladar would be a great pick up at 57. He has an ideal frame for a goaltender, and with lots of room on the depth chart he'd have a good shot at playing pro very soon.
79. Callum Booth - G - 6'3 196 lbs - Quebec Remparts (QMJHL)
Two goalies with consecutive picks? Why? Well by taking Booth at 79, you really create a deep prospect pool in net, similar to that of Nashville. That gives them leeway at the position for the next 3 years, where drafting goalies won't be a necessity. There's a few players who stand out in this range including Foley, Gropp, and Kolesar.
86. Erik Cernak - RD - 6'3 203 lbs - HC Kosice (Slovakia)
Ladislav Smid.. I mean Erik Cernak is an intriguing prospect. His ability in his own zone as well as his strength in shutting down the other teams key players is quite impressive. A true defensive defenceman isn't something you find a lot of in today's game.
All in all, the Oilers, like every team, have weaknesses they need to address. By using all their picks, their prospect pool becomes one of the best in the NHL, and though it's unlikely that happens there's still a chance you see the Oilers make 3 or 4 picks in the top 90.
Thanks for reading! You can follow me on Twitter @NHLDraftTalk and don't forget to comment below!
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