EDMONTON – The Edmonton Oilers’ luck ran out at the NHL Draft Lottery; the team will not pick first overall for the fifth time in seven years.
The announcement was eagerly anticipated by all seven Canadian team hoping to score big this year.
The Edmonton Oilers have had a history of winning the top pick, most recently in 2015, which they used to select Connor McDavid.
Speaking to 630 CHED from Toronto, Oilers General Manager Peter Chiarelli said he was a bit disappointed to fall to fourth.
“I hoped at the very least…to hold at two. It would have been a bonus to get to one,” he said. “I kind of knew there was a good chance we were going to move down.”
He also hinted it’s more likely a tradeable pick now.
“I don’t know. I’m going to have to see what presents itself. The top three players are more NHL ready.
“Probably a little more likely, yeah,” Chiarelli said.
“The guys have their favourites in the next cluster, so we’ll see what happens if we decide to move it.”
Because the Oilers finished 29th in the regular season, it meant the team had the second-best odds to win number one again Saturday. They came in with a 13.5 per cent chance to win the top spot.
READ MORE: Oilers have 13.5% chance of getting first pick in 2016 NHL draft
Dozens of fans gathered to watch the draft lottery Saturday afternoon at The Pint. Cheers erupted when the Edmonton Oilers were called.
The fourth-round spot didn’t come as a huge shock to fans, who proclaimed “Connor is better,” when asked for their thoughts.
“McDavid’s better, that’s all that matters,” said another fan. “Toronto can have Matthews.”
This year, the top pick is expected to be Auston Matthews. The American centre spent last season playing with the ZSC Lions of the Swiss National League where he scored 24 goals and 22 assists in 36 games.
In the end, the top pick went to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
READ MORE: Toronto Maple Leafs win first pick in the 2016 NHL Draft Lottery
As for the rest of the Canadian teams, the Winnipeg Jets moved up the most and will pick second, the Vancouver Canucks will select fifth, the Calgary Flames sixth, the Montreal Canadiens ninth, and the Ottawa Senators will pick 12th.
The 2016 NHL Entry Draft will be held on June 24-25 in Buffalo, N.Y.
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