As an American, when you think of Edmonton, Alberta, a few things come to mind: Snow, Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, eskimos, and it being the largest most northern city in Canada.
While Edmonton has one of the most beautiful skylines in Canada, that’s about all it has going for itself. It smells like oil and the hockey team is just absolutely, hilariously terrible. The rightfully named Oilers are possibly the worst hockey team in Western Canada. They can’t get it done on the ice and are even worse on the draft board.
Since 2007, the Oilers have been so abysmal on the ice, they have picked in the top ten of the draft ten times. Since then, they have drafted some notable names such as Sam Gagner, Jordan Eberle, Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Nail Yakupov, Leon Draisaitl, and of course, Connor McDavid. The most shocking part is that four were first overall picks, and five of them are no longer on the team. Imagine a power play with Connor McDavid, Taylor Hall, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins? Absolutely erotic. I hope you can, cause that’s all Oiler’s fans can do, unless they turn on their X-Box.
Ten top-ten picks since 2007, and they have next to nothing to show for it. Absolutely embarrassing. Giving the Oilers a top ten pick is like giving a blind kid some binoculars and telling him to check out the constellations.
Connor McDavid is truly a generational talent. He’s on the same level as players like Sidney Crosby. The problem with Connor McDavid is that he has no one to play with on his line. You could put Draisaitl up next to him, but then you have no second line center. With the Oilers forward depth being as deep as a kiddie pool, there is no hope for McDavid to live up to the names above him in Rodgers Place.
My suggestion? Offer sheet Mitch Marner and give up the four first round picks, since you clearly have no fucking clue what to do with them anyway.
-Mitch D.