Oilers have been awful at drafting during Holland era
The Edmonton Oilers have had some of the worst drafting in the entire NHL since Ken Holland was hired as GM in 2019.
In the aftermath of a 5-0 loss to the Dallas Stars on Wednesday night, a team that boasts youngsters such as Wyatt Johnston and Logan Stankoven, the fact that Edmonton does not have a single prospect drafted since 2019 on their roster rang loud.
Having an old and experienced team is often seen as an important element to any club with Stanley Cup aspirations, but to lay a foundation and ensure lasting success, you must constantly restock cupboards to replace that aging talent. The Oilers have one of the oldest rosters in the entire league, and it doesn’t appear there is any help coming when the team inevitably needs to get younger.
Just look at the Oilers’ draft record since Holland took over. In five drafts, four of which the team had a first-round pick, just two of the 25 players they have chosen have played in NHL games with Dylan Holloway (#14 in 2020) and Philip Broberg (#8 in 2019), both of whom are currently playing in the AHL.
Hollywood on #StarWars Night? The script! #Condorstown pic.twitter.com/xGQvmxJbym
— Bakersfield Condors (@Condors) March 17, 2024
Sure, the Oilers have been fighting for a Stanley Cup for the past couple of seasons, so they might not have the highest draft position. Worst teams will draft better players because that is how the system works. Further, they have traded away first-round picks in 2023 and 2024 to acquire more immediate help.
This still isn’t a good excuse. The Oilers have been pressed up toward the cap for years and, instead of gathering good, young players on cheap entry-level deals, Holland has been forced to move capable NHL players to make room. The lack of cheap, young talent in the pipeline has prevented the Oilers from maximizing their potential.
The opportunity to draft legitimate impact players has been there as well. Holland reached for Broberg in his first draft as Oilers GM instead of selecting players like Trevor Zegras, Matt Boldy, and Cole Caufield, who have all become legitimate NHL players. The same can be said for the 2021 draft when Edmonton traded down to select Xavier Bourgault instead of players like Jesper Wallstedt or Johnston, who went one pick after Bourgault to Dallas.
Imagine if the Oilers had players like Boldy and Johnston to supplement their already-stacked offence. Hindsight in 20/20, but it wasn’t like those players were diamonds in the rough, it was just a pure miss by the team’s amateur scouting.
Even worse, the players they drafted have not been given a ton of runway to develop into useful NHLers. Holloway has had stints in the top six but has mostly been a bottom-line player for the Oilers. Broberg has barely sniffed an NHL top-four five seasons after being a top-10 pick. Both have spent long stretches in the press box, most likely harming their development.
Holland has done a decent enough job building this Oilers team through free agency and trades, bringing in key guys like Zach Hyman and Mattias Ekholm, but his one major failure has been his ability to build a steady stream of young talent.
It might be his one defining legacy if the Oilers can’t reach the summit in the next few years.