[News] The Edmonton Oilers win the draft lottery and will select 1st overall

[RyZ]

If the Oilers want to attempt to build a team around McDavid and not end up like the current Penguins with half a roster full of glorified AHLers they are going to have to do a masterful job of signing some of these young guys to reasonable contracts and bringing on some legit UFAs to slot in.....and it's pretty likely that this management group that just bought itself another 5-6 years doesn't have it in them to pull off that plan.

McJesus (10+ per/yr)
Draisaitl
Nurse
Eberle
Nuge
Schultz
Hall

Probably 3-4 of those guys have to go by the time McJesus reaches 23 to place and sign the D and G that they are going to need to contend. There is a very real possibility that this never happens the way Oiler fans are dreaming it might.

[Robbob]

It is a systemic problem in Edmonton. Just adding McDavid will not fix the system they have. If anything it sounds like they are just going to throw him in there and think he is the cure all. Bottom line is that he oilers have been dismal at developing players. If the oilers management stays the same, then they won't be fully utilizing the developmental years early on in his career.

I think because of his talent he will elevate the oilers. The question is how high considering they are lacking or have serious needs on the back end and in net. The oilers were -85 goal differential. realistically how much of a difference will he make to that stat? By time they develop (or pay through the nose for UFA dmen, which will bring future cap issues) McDavid will be off his cheap ELC years.

For the oilers it sure is great for them to get McDavid, but he is not being put into a situation to succeed. They expect him to carry the team on skill alone. If the fans and management believe that, then they haven't learned anything the last decade.

[bucksmasher]

If there was one place in the west that mcdavid could have landed and simultaneously been rendered a non threat to the flames, it was Edmonton. Yes it sucks that Edmonton is a black hole that destroys young hockey talent but they neutralized the most dangerous player in the draft against us.

[Derek Sutton]

Originally Posted by Fire

Sad day for McDavid and the NHL. Really it's nothing short of a disaster for the NHL. Could result in hundreds of millions of loss revenue for the league.

How does this cost the league so much money? Buffalo and Pheonix are a lot less rellevant then Edmonton. I think the silver lining in all this is that it could mean the end of the NHL in Arizona and the franchise moving to a real market. The Buffalo was only 20% to win the lottery, for them to assume getting the pick, then to be disappoointed with the "process" when they don't "win it" is pretty comical.

What is ironic in all this is that the Oilers won because of rules that were essentialy put in place because of them. There really was no way for the NHL to win here if any of the bottom feeding teams won the lottery
-Buffalo tanked and tankers do not deserve it
-Arizona, see above, no one cares about hockey in the desert,
-Edmonton....
-Toronto, FIXED

[TheSpecialist]

If i had to guess what's going to happen in Connor's case, he'll probably request a trade through Bobby Orr and the Oilers will quietly be shopping around for his return. This will probably devastate the entire Oiler fanbase and if there is anyone to blame, it should be Katz and Oiler management for running a complete circus.

[JohnnySkittles]

If they were smart they would trade Eberle, and Hall for defense and goaltending. Run with McDavid- RNH- Draistail down the middle and the D/G pieces they get from the Eberle & Hall trades, fortunately they aren't and they'll continue to play run and gun hockey because......

Craig MacTavish: "Offence wins hockey games & we're going to be loaded with it"

[handgroen]

It's worth noting that darryl katz has had a very big hand in destroying the eerie otters.

just another karmic abortion being overlooked in all this.

[JohnnySkittles]

I could easily see them revamping the system to prevent pathetic franchises like Edmonton from taking all this talent and ruining it. Imagine Hall, RNH, McDavid, Eberle etc on other teams? The league would be much better off.

[RyZ]

Originally Posted by JohnnySkittles

If they were smart they would trade Eberle, and Hall for defense and goaltending. Run with McDavid- RNH- Draistail down the middle and the D/G pieces they get from the Eberle & Hall trades, fortunately they aren't and they'll continue to play run and gun hockey because......

Craig MacTavish: "Offence wins hockey games & we're going to be loaded with it"

This is basically what Pittsburgh has done around Crosby and Malkin and it leaves you with scraps to sign the bottom half of your roster. Even if the Oilers keep and build around McD, Draisaitl, Nuge and Nurse it will leave the bottom half of the roster laughably thin to the point that they will have no hope of beating teams with solid, deep rosters built around 1 or 2 (less than McD level) stars and a whole bunch of solid players around them. The Oilers are going to have to get lucky to turn what they currently have + McD into a perennial cup contender by the time McD has a chance to bolt via free agency.

[handgroen]

also isn't there a rule to be enacted next year involving how many times one team can win the 1st overall selection?

the oilers have been sucking on their knees for so long, that the league had to change the whole structure.

If i was an oil fan i would not want to have a rule be unofficially known as the "edmonton rule" and have that rule determine how much loser is too much loser.

If this were soccer that team would have been relegated into oblivion by now.

how much suck, could the lowe suck, suck, if the lowe suck is no good.

[Derek Sutton]

Originally Posted by handgroen

It's worth noting that darryl katz has had a very big hand in destroying the eerie otters.

just another karmic abortion being overlooked in all this.

Could it not be argued that he saved the Otters?

[oldschoolcalgary]

Originally Posted by bucksmasher

If there was one place in the west that mcdavid could have landed and simultaneously been rendered a non threat to the flames, it was Edmonton. Yes it sucks that Edmonton is a black hole that destroys young hockey talent but they neutralized the most dangerous player in the draft against us.

or Edmonton just jump started their rebuild with the best player since Crosby, giving them some flexibility to trade some of their accumulated talent for other players at positions of need...trumping Calgary in terms of top end talent.

lets not kid ourselves; at some point, if you keep getting top draft picks, that franchise will turn around. Guys like Brodie, Monahan and Gaudreau did just that for us...

[Derek Sutton]

Originally Posted by handgroen

also isn't there a rule to be enacted next year involving how many times one team can win the 1st overall selection?

the oilers have been sucking on their knees for so long, that the league had to change the whole structure.

If i was an oil fan i would not want to have a rule be unofficially known as the "edmonton rule" and have that rule determine how much loser is too much loser.

If this were soccer that team would have been relegated into oblivion by now.

how much suck, could the lowe suck, suck, if the lowe suck is no good.

If soccer don't they only relegate the last place team?

[Fire of the Phoenix]

Originally Posted by RyZ

This is basically what Pittsburgh has done around Crosby and Malkin and it leaves you with scraps to sign the bottom half of your roster. Even if the Oilers keep and build around McD, Draisaitl, Nuge and Nurse it will leave the bottom half of the roster laughably thin to the point that they will have no hope of beating teams with solid, deep rosters built around 1 or 2 (less than McD level) stars and a whole bunch of solid players around them. The Oilers are going to have to get lucky to turn what they currently have + McD into a perennial cup contender by the time McD has a chance to bolt via free agency.

Yep. I'll be worried if they ever prove they can draft actual NHL players outside of the 1st round as that is the true key to success in the cap era. Even in their heyday they found many pieces in the later rounds, if they don't start doing that, McDavid will be yet another wasted opportunity for them.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by oldschoolcalgary

or Edmonton just jump started their rebuild with the best player since Crosby, giving them some flexibility to trade some of their accumulated talent for other players at positions of need...trumping Calgary in terms of top end talent.

lets not kid ourselves; at some point, if you keep getting top draft picks, that franchise will turn around. Guys like Brodie, Monahan and Gaudreau did just that for us...

lol, what?

[oldschoolcalgary]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

lol, what?

i meant that good draft picks turn around franchises... eventually, the Oilers will turn it around...

we were able to do it even with talent that was not highly rated (ie Brodie and Gaudreau).... it stands to reason the more high picks you have, especially number one picks, that you will turn it around.

calgary has done just that with low draft picks

give a person enough lottery tickets and eventually they will win the lottery...edmonton can't ruin every single player they touch ad infinitum

[Flames Fan, Ph.D.]

Originally Posted by taxbuster

I wouldn't be so sure about that -- he's only giving up something under 2 mil in salary etc for an ELC, and would easily recoup that later. At 20 he's a pretty likable commodity for the next picker.

He didn't exactly look.......excited.

Yeah, not going to happen.

It would be highly irresponsible of his parents or agent to support such a move. No offense to Connor, but right now his career path is as a hockey player, period. No sense in holding out on the NHL... it's not like he has a back-up plan and applied to enter pre-med at McGill.

If he skips out, maybe in the long run the arithmetic may work and he ends his career with total earnings close to what he would have made had he played right away. But you're completely ignoring the risk of not playing in the NHL and not getting NHL contract money and not building your stats as you work towards free agency. Injuries and fluke accidents are a wild card and not worth risking for a 2 year duration simply because you're an 18 year old disappointed by your draft team.

The Oilers will draft him. He'll sign. And the Flames will have extra motivation to beat the team up north.

[MrMastodonFarm]

Originally Posted by oldschoolcalgary

i meant that good draft picks turn around franchises... eventually, the Oilers will turn it around...

we were able to do it even with talent that was not highly rated (ie Brodie and Gaudreau).... it stands to reason the more high picks you have, especially number one picks, that you will turn it around.

calgary has done just that with low draft picks

give a person enough lottery tickets and eventually they will win the lottery...edmonton can't ruin every single player they touch ad infinitum

Well, it's worked so far.

[GranteedEV]

give a person enough lottery tickets and eventually they will win the lottery..
.edmonton can't ruin every single player they touch ad infinitum

No, but they can move them away for pennies on the dollar only for them to blossom into winners elsewhere (i.e. Dubnyk, Petry)

[FLAMESRULE]

Just saw this in Twitter. No idea if actually matches the lottery video or not...more drama or bitter Sabre / NHL fans.

http://imgur.com/gallery/RdRvV?hc_location=ufi