6 former Oilers who didn't live up to the hype
The NHL draft is nothing more than an absolute crapshoot when it comes to finding useful NHL players, and the Edmonton Oilers know that all too well.
It doesn’t matter what place you pick in any given draft, whether it be the seventh round or the first overall pick; there is always a possibility that the player a team selects just doesn’t pan out.
Edmonton has had immense luck over the past decade in avoiding this, with core pieces Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Evan Bouchard, and even Stuart Skinner all being homegrown talent who have exceeded expectations and have turned into real impact players in the NHL.
Yet, there is still a laundry list of players who, despite having some hype around them when drafted, just couldn’t make it work with the Oilers.
Here are six notable examples of players that Edmonton drafted who just couldn’t live up to the hype.
1. Nail Yakupov
Let’s get the elephant in the room out of the way with Nail Yakupov.
The 2012 first-overall pick had plenty of hype in his draft year and, while he had a pretty good rookie season, things fell off fast for the Russian winger in Edmonton.
He managed 50 goals and 111 points through four seasons with the Oilers and is now playing in the KHL.
2. Jesse Puljujarvi
The Oilers very nearly traded down in the 2016 NHL draft but opted to keep their fourth-overall selection once Jesse Puljujarvi fell to them.
Puljujarvi was one of the top-rated players of his draft class but he struggled to live up to his high draft position, notching just a single season above 30 points in his five seasons in Edmonton. He now plays for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
3. Magnus Paajarvi
Magnus Paajarvi arrived at the onset of Edmonton’s decade of darkness, being drafted 10th overall by the Oilers in 2009.
He was expected to be a pivotal part of the Oilers’ rebuild but would top out with a 34-point rookie season in 2010-11. He wouldn’t score more than 16 points in a single NHL season from that point on.
Paajarvi is currently back in his native Sweden, playing for Timra IK.
4. Tyler Benson
Benson was once seen as one of the most promising young players in all of hockey, but injuries caused him to slip down to the second round of his draft class, landing with the Oilers at 32nd overall in 2016.
He couldn’t quite make that jump to the NHL for the Oilers, appearing in just 38 games and putting up three points in that span. He currently plays for Henderson Silver Knights of the AHL.
5. Rob Schremp
Though he is regarded as one of the greatest trick-shot hockey players of all time, Rob Schremp couldn’t quite establish himself as a consistent NHL player.
Despite being drafted 25th overall by the Oilers in 2004, Schremp appeared in just seven games with Edmonton before being traded to the Philadelphia Flyers.
He has since retired from hockey and is now the director of hockey operations for the Hong Kong-based China Hockey Group.
6. Linus Omark
Despite being drafted 97th overall, there was plenty of hype when Linus Omark made his way over to North America to play with the Oilers.
He had made a name for himself with a highlight reel of Datsyukian-type moves but never could translate that skill over to the NHL. His most well-known moment with the Oilers was a spin-o-rama shootout goal against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
He lasted a total of 66 games with the Oilers and went on to have a successful career overseas, where he is currently playing with Lulea HF in the Swedish Hockey League.