EDMONTON- The Oilers will thankfully now have six tables between themselves and the front of the line at the NHL draft. The past three they’ve leading the pack with the first overall pick. Now it’s seven which will be heaven for fans if they can get their jersey on a key piece of Craig MacTavish’s strange looking puzzle. Below are seven players that the Oilers may be choosing from when they make their first selection. Also, I’ll include five guys to watch for when the club selects next at 37. Here’s hoping the league has learned its lesson and the first round doesn’t last four hours. The entire draft is one day this year, which hopefully becomes the norm and families aren’t forced to sweat it out so long.
Unfortunately, Edmonton will miss out on the four biggest prizes in this year’s draft. Seth Jones the best overall blueliner as well as the Halifax dynamic duo of Nathan MacKinnon and Jonathan Drouin, and the rugged Fin Alexander Barkov whose name makes you think he’s Russian. Here’s where Oiler fans have to really hope for a break. Carolina drafts 5th and the Flames are slotted 6th. Both of those teams could snatch the two top names likely to be on Mac T’s list.
1. Darnell Nurse-What’s not to like about a defenceman who’s almost 6.04 and 190 pounds who likes to grind up forwards in the corner. Some scouts think his offensive potential is close to that of Seth Jones. I’ve talked to him this year and he’s a very well grounded kid. International Scouting Service has him as one of the top five toughest players in the league, and former Hockey Canada and Edmonton Oiler Head Scout Kevin Prendergast told me on The Pipeline Show that Nurse is the hardest skater to play against out of the top 30 ranked. He fills an Oilers need of size and toughness on the back end and his offence is a bonus. He’ll also know a lot about surviving in the spotlight as his Uncle is former NFL quarterback Donovan McNabb who played in what many believe to be the toughest city…Philadelphia.
2. Sean Monahan-While Nurse plugs a hole on the back end, Monahan does the same up front. Size at centre. He’s 6.02 and closing in on 190 pounds and while his skating isn’t his strongest skill, it won’t hold him back either. The Ottawa 67 centre was rated in the top five by ISS when it came to faceoffs and puck protection. His vision has been called extraordinary and jaw dropping. Kind of sounds a little like Joe Thornton to me. Now Thornton went 1st overall while Monahan could slip in the draft after suffering a concussion and managing 78 points in 58 games, or as some have put it inconsistent. He’s the full package as his defensive game is top notch as well.
3. Elias Lindholm-If Monahan is gone, this is likely the middle man the Oilers take. Lindholm is a little smaller then Monahan but just as good in the face off dot and what he trails in offence behind Monahan he makes up for in grit and character. A natural leader who has above average hockey IQ. He’s the prototypical five tool player who makes everyone around him better and a very safe pick.
4. Valery Nichushkin-If Lindholm is the safe pick, then consider Nichushkin the risk pick. If his passport said Sarnia, Ontario instead of Chelyabinsk, Russia then he’d be gone by seven, and he still might. His skill set is off the charts good. He’s almost 6.05 and has been compared to Jaromir Jagr. But there are questions about his desire. Did he sign a two year contract in the KHL? Does he have an outclause? Those are two questions NHL teams are leery about with the Left Winger. He was very good for Russia at the World Junior Championship, but below average at this year’s World under 18 event and his body language according to scouts was that he didn’t look like he wanted to be there.
5. Nikita Zadorov-If it’s size you are looking for, you’ve come to the right defenceman my friend. How does over 6 foot 5 grab you and 230 Toledo’s? That’s what you get in the Russian rearguard who played for Dale Hunter’s London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League. I watched him live at the Mastercard Memorial Cup in Saskatoon and was very impressed with his mobility. It’s not easy for giants to coordinate their feet and legs all at the same time but Zadorov does it nicely. While he projects to be a shutdown blueliner he does have a cannon for a shot. But I would say his offensive game is limited, in fact it’s when he gambles to much that he gets into trouble.
6. Bo Horvat-Like Zadorov, Horvat plays in London and was their best player for me at the Memorial Cup. I noticed him every shift whether he was making a hit, blocking a shot or winning another face off. For fans of the Edmonton Oil Kings he’s a lot like Curtis Lazar, but with better vision and a little thicker. Horvat is 6 feet and 206 and kind of plays like a bowling ball going for the 7-10 split. He’s ranked by ISS as the top defensive forward in the draft, and he has a very good shot in the offensive zone. He’ll develop into a strong NHL power forward and would also look good behind RNH on the Oilers depth chart down the road.
7. Rasmus Ristolainen– Nothing personal, but I sure hope the Oilers don’t select him. Not that there is anything wrong with his game other than it’s so safe it’s boring. The Finnish word for safe is turvallinen, but it could be Ristolainen. While he’s not overly physical and doesn’t have huge offensive upside he won’t make mistakes and will do a good job cleaning up his own end. Good size as well at 6.04, but needs to put on a few pounds.
As for the Oilers 2nd pick of the day -if they keep it – it will be at 37. Here are five names to consider.
1. Nic Petan-He’s small for small guys. barely 5.08 and not even 170 pounds, but he has dazzling skill. I know he doesn’t at all fit what the Oilers need but I also know Craig MacTavish was blown away by his hands when he watched him play. Petan co-led the WHL in scoring last year with 120 points and he has ‘wow’ factor for sure, but struggled in Saskatoon against some of the really big teams. He would have to either fall really far to be there at 37 or the Oilers trade up to get him.
2. Michael McCarron-Again with him there’s no chance he’s still sitting in the stands at 37, but if the Oilers want to trade up, this is a guy they should target. He’s 6 foot five and nearly 230 pounds, and can’t legally drink in his country. Simply put, this guy will be a load for any team down the road, so Oiler fans are at least hoping he doesn’t end up in Vancouver or Calgary for the next 10 years. He’s smart, huge and loves to hit. He can also chip in offensively when it counts. Maybe a little like Milan Lucic?
3. Adam Erne-Another guy with size, grit and hands, but not nearly as big. Erne played in Quebec for Patrick Roy’s Remparts and led the team with 72 points in 68 games. He needs to work on his skating, but has no problem getting his nose dirty to make a play.
4. Shea Theodore-A decent sized defenceman who makes a terrific first pass out of his own end and does a nice job of quarterbacking the power play. Nice second pairing offence and will work out fine on the power play. Had 50 points on a poor Seattle Thunderbird team this season.
5. Ryan Hartman-This guy plays a role that the Oilers haven’t had consistently in years. The agitator. Brad Marchand does this in a big way for the Bruins and Hartman could be the next ‘Marchand’. Like all guys of that style it can get him into trouble but if the rest of his game is to it’s potential the good will outweigh the bad.
Who knows, this all could mean nothing if Craig MacTavish moves up or down or out of the first round and adds a veteran player to next year’s roster. We’ll have the latest on the News Hour and online.
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