The Edmonton Oilers had to sit through six picks at the 2013 NHL Draft. It was their longest wait since they picked tenth overall in 2009. Having made the first overall selection three times in the last four years, the Oilers are on the brink of a monumental leap up the standings. However, the Edmonton explosion might still be a year or two away.
2010 top-pick Taylor Hall broke the point-per-game barrier in 2013 with a team-leading 50 points in 45 games. Unlike Tyler Seguin, who was selected just after him, Hall has fulfilled his potential and become a legitimate superstar.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins would probably already be beside him amongst the NHL’s elite if not for nagging injuries that shortened his superb rookie season and cut down his production in year two. Not to be outdone, Nail Yakupov led the team in goals as a rookie with 17.
Barring career-derailing injuries, the Oilers seem to have nabbed three franchise talents, and they have plenty of offensive force to complement them.
Jordan Eberle‘s numbers dropped slightly in 2013, but the 23-year-old should further establish himself as a lethal attacker this winter. Sam Gagner ponied up a career year with a new contract on the line, and the 24-year-old earned every penny of his new three-year $14.4 million extension.
All five of those exceptional forwards are under 24 years old, meaning the Oilers should inevitably develop into an elite goal-scoring team. Off-season acquisition David Perron will be the old man of the bunch at 25, and the former St. Louis Blues’ winger should fit nicely on the Oilers’ second-line.
The young talent in Edmonton is hardly limited to the forward lines. In addition to the 2012 signing of former-Wisconsin Badger Justin Schultz, the Oilers are hoarding quite a bit of blue line potential. Though it may be hard to believe, the Oilers’ defensive corps is nearly as promising as the forward group.
2013 first rounder Darnell Nurse was the second defenseman off the board in Newark after Seth Jones, and he’ll join Oscar Klefbom and David Musil as a possible future star in Alberta. While Nurse will need at least a year of seasoning, Klefbom should be ready to make the leap from the Swedish Hockey League. The 2011 first rounder has all the physical tools necessary to be a star, and he’ll be big addition at both ends of the ice.
Veteran free-agent Andrew Ference will provide some leadership until the youngsters are ready to take over. At 34-years-old, the former Bruin is the second oldest player on the Oilers’ roster. Thirty-four-year-old former captain Shawn Horcoff is gone, leaving just Ales Hemsky and Ryan Smyth as the Oilers’ old guard.
Hemsky may not be long for life in Edmonton. The winger’s production has dropped off in the past two seasons, and looming free agency could make him deadline trade bait. A deal could line the Oilers up for yet another successful draft.
The only position in which the Oilers are not doused in talent is arguably the most important. Major questions surround the goaltending in Edmonton, and Devan Dubnyk will have to answer them this season. Dubnyk registered a respectable .920 save-percentage in 38 games, ranking 12th in the league. A former first round pick himself, Dubnyk will be out to prove that he is worthy of back-stopping this star-studded club into the postseason.
It’s been seven years since the Oilers were invited to hockey’s second season, and with the club’s best young corps since the days of Gretzky the renaissance is in full swing.
Don’t expect Hall, Nugent-Hopkins and Yakupov to ever match the accomplishments of Gretzky, Messier and Kurri, but the current Oillers have far too much talent to stay down for long. New head coach Dallas Eakins made a living out of developing young talent as the head coach of the AHL’s Toronto Marlies. In his first NHL season, Eakins will face tons of pressure to convert his fresh ingredients into something special.
Realignment has put the Edmonton wunderkind’s in a tough spot by placing them in the significantly deeper half of the new Western Conference. The Pacific Division features four 2013 playoff teams. The Ducks, Sharks, Kings and Canucks are battle tested teams with elite offenses that could shred the Oilers’ transitioning defense.
The Oilers will be one of the most fun teams to watch in the NHL this season, and an improvement is justifiably expected. They might be ready to become a high-powered offense, especially if they get their powerplay clicking. However, they are bound to finish on the outside looking in come late-April.
In two years they could be the cream of the crop in the West, but the wait will last at the very least another year.
