Oilers Season Preview: The fortuitous bounce that changed everything
On a fateful night in April, the fortunes of the Edmonton Oilers' franchise presumably changed forever.
Despite having the third highest odds to win the draft lottery, Edmonton won the right to select Connor McDavid first overall.
The Oilers own the NHL's longest active playoff drought, last qualifying for the postseason in 2006. As a result, Edmonton drafted three consecutive first overall picks from 2010-2012 (Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Nail Yakupov) and top-10 picks in 2013 and 2014 (Darnell Nurse and Leon Draisaitl).
While each player is undoubtedly talented, none of them come with McDavid's distinction as a "generational talent." Whether it was coincidental or directly related, the gifted forward's impending arrival preceded a series of organizational changes.
Six days after securing the first overall pick, the Oilers replaced general manager Craig MacTavish with former Boston Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli and moved Kevin Lowe into a business role.
Chiarelli hired head coach Todd McLellan two days after the former San Jose Sharks bench boss led Canada to a gold medal at the World Hockey Championship.
Then came the roster moves. Chiarelli landed 2012 fourth overall pick, defenseman Griffin Reinhart, in a draft-day trade with the New York Islanders and acquired goaltender Cam Talbot from the New York Rangers a day later.
The Oilers signed McDavid to an entry-level deal, then inked free-agent defenseman Andrej Sekera to a six-year contract on July 1. Edmonton agreed to a seven-year extension with 22-year-old blue-liner Oscar Klefbom last week.
There are questions about the Oilers' back end, including the goaltending tandem of Talbot and Ben Scrivens, but the club now has a franchise-altering building block to serve as the foundation for its group of emerging forwards.
The Oilers will be without Jordan Eberle for four-to-six weeks because of a preseason shoulder injury, which could mean Yakupov will take his spot in the top six.
McDavid's presence alone should take pressure off Hall, Nugent-Hopkins, and Yakupov, and that alone should help Edmonton's young core develop.
Projected Depth Chart
| LW | C | RW |
|---|---|---|
| Taylor Hall | Connor McDavid | Teddy Purcell |
| Benoit Pouliot | Ryan Nugent-Hopkins | Jordan Eberle |
| Leon Draisaitl | Anton Lander | Nail Yakupov |
| Lauri Korpikoski | Mark Letestu | Matt Hendricks |
| LD | RD |
|---|---|
| Andrej Sekera | Justin Schultz |
| Oscar Klefbom | Andrew Ference |
| Nikita Nikitin | Mark Fayne |
| Eric Gryba |
| G |
|---|
| Cam Talbot |
| Ben Scrivens |
X-Factor
Talbot's performance will play a significant role in determining how big of a step the Oilers take this season.
The 28-year-old filled in admirably for the injured Henrik Lundqvist with the Rangers in 2014-15, but Talbot is still largely unproven, having appeared in 36 games last season after playing 21 in his rookie campaign.
Scrivens got the majority of starts for the Oilers last season, with the 57 games he played representing the largest workload of his career, but Talbot is the starter now.
He has to prove he can excel within a larger sample size and behind a less reliable defense corps for the Oilers to accelerate their rebuild.
Player to Watch
All eyes will be on McDavid, and rightfully so. His dynamic offensive skills have already transformed the franchise, and he'll be appointment viewing for fans around the league every time the Oilers take the ice.
But another player oozing with promise is Draisaitl, the 19-year-old taken third overall in 2014.
He was given a sizable taste of NHL action during his rookie campaign when he played 37 games. The fact the Oilers gave him more than a nine-game trial shows they believe he can contribute immediately.
Thanks to McDavid, Draisaitl will slide under the radar in his sophomore season, and as such, he could take an encouraging step forward.