Holloway Latest In Long Line Of Draft Picks That Don't Stick For Oilers – Hockey Writers – Edmonton Oilers

In 2014 and 2015, the Edmonton Oilers used their top draft picks to select, respectively, Leon Draisaitl (third overall) and Connor McDavid (first overall).

As part of the Oilers, Draisaitl and McDavid combined for 1,832 regular season points, winning the Art Ross Trophy six times, the Ted Lindsay Award five times, and the Hart Trophy four times. In June they helped Edmonton reach the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in 18 years.

McDavid is currently the best player in the world, and Draisaitl is somewhere in the top 5 to 10. Both will be inducted into the Hall of Fame as soon as they are eligible. Arguably no team has drafted two better players in the first round in consecutive years, and that includes the Pittsburgh Penguins taking Evgeni Malkin second overall in 2004 followed by Sidney Crosby at No. 1 in 2005.

But since then, Edmonton's ability to plan and move forward has been a major failure. The centers and wings drafted by the Oilers over the past nine years have fallen into one of three categories: they haven't reached the NHL; they had a disappointing season in Edmonton before the Oilers gave up on them; or they are traded without even playing a game for the Oilers.

And now there's stage four: leave them as a restricted free agent by signing an offer sheet that wasn't matched.

The oilers Don't match Holloway's Donation Sheet

On August 20, Dylan Holloway signed a two-year contract with St.

Edmonton's first-round pick (14^th Overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft, Holloway had nine goals and nine assists in 89 regular season games with the Oilers. The 22-year-old was eligible for every playoff game during Edmonton's run to Game 7 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final, and was expected to be part of the Oilers' bottom six in 2024-25.

Holloway's departure means that of all the players who have played forward for Edmonton since McDavid in 2015, it is possible that no one will wear a uniform when the Oilers open the next season against the Winnipeg Jets on October 9.

In fact, Raphael Lavoie (38th overall pick in 2019) is the only forward Edmonton has drafted in the first four rounds since 2016 who is still part of the Oilers organization. Lavoie, who completes his seven-game NHL regular season in 2023-24, recently re-signed with Edmonton on a one-, two-year contract, and appears likely to spend most of next season in the American Hockey League (AHL).

The Leaders Failed To Play With Oil

From 2016 to 2018, the Oilers drafted four forwards in the first two rounds. All went on to play for Edmonton, but none made the impact expected when the Oilers selected them in their draft:

Jesse Puljujarvi (fourth pick in 2016) suited up in 317 regular season games over parts of six seasons with the Oilers. After having a rough time in his first NHL season, the forward returned home to Finland for the 2019-20 season, before returning to the Oilers in 2020-21. His second go-round in Edmonton was much better, but he never scored more than 15 points in a season, and he ended up being traded to the Carolina Hurricanes in 2023 for the rights to Patrik Puistola, a Finnish forward. Puistola never signed with the Oilers.

Tyler Benson (32^n.d overall pick in 2016) appeared in only 38 games with the Oilers. The left-handed hitter never seemed to be able to get into the lane, dealing with multiple injuries from his junior days in the Western Hockey League (WHL), and struggled offensively at the NHL level, scoring just once. Edmonton opted not to re-sign Benson after the 2022–23 season, and he spent 2023–24 with the Henderson Silver Knights on an AHL contract.

Kailer Yamamoto (22^n.d overall pick in 2017) spent parts of six seasons with the Oilers, playing in 244 regular season games and 34 in the playoffs. The winger appeared to have a successful campaign in 2021-22, when at the age of 23 he recorded 20 goals and 21 assists in 81 games, but he regressed in 2022-23, scoring just 10 times. On June 29, 2023, in what was essentially a salary dump, the Oilers traded forwards Klim Kostin and Yamamoto to the Detroit Red Wings for future consideration.

Ryan McLeod (40^th 2018 overall pick) has been in Edmonton's last six games over the past three seasons, playing center and center. Last season he was the dominant offensive player, with 12 goals and 18 assists, and scored four times in the 2024 Playoffs. On July 5, in a move that allowed the Oilers to shed some salary, they traded McLeod for one of their top draft picks, righty Tyler Tullio (126).^th 2020 overall pick) to the Buffalo Sabers for forward Matthew Savoie.

Recent Draft Picks Traded Aphele by the Oilers

Aside from the four forwards mentioned above, Holloway and Lavoie are the only forwards drafted by the Oilers going back to 2016 who have played in the NHL. A recent trend in Oil Country has been for Edmonton to trade away their forward prospects before they make it to the NHL.

Xavier Bourgault (22^n.d overall pick in 2021) spent his first two pro seasons only in the AHL, where he struggled to produce with the Bakersfield Condors, totaling just 20 points in 55 games in 2023-24. On July 15, Edmonton faced Bourgault and fellow Oilers forward Jake Chiasson (116).^th 2021 overall pick) to the Ottawa Senators for forward Roby Jarventie and a fourth-round pick in the 2025 Draft.

Reid Schaefer (32^n.d 2022 overall pick) didn't even make it to the pros before Edmonton traded him. On February 28, 2023, eight months after the Oilers drafted the left winger, Schaefer was included as part of a trade with the Nashville Predators that brought defenseman Mattias Ekholm to Edmonton.

Oilers' Core Built Largely in Free Agency

There were some top players that Edmonton drafted and ended up saying goodbye to without compensation, especially Carter Savoie (100).^th perfect choice in 2020). The lefty, who spent the past two seasons with Bakersfield in the AHL, became an unrestricted free agent this offseason when the Oilers did not make him a qualifying offer.

So where did all the Oilers hitters come from? According to Elite Prospects, of the 13 players currently on the Oilers' roster, only three (Draisaitl, McDavid and 2011 No. 1 pick Ryan Nugent-Hopkins) could be selected by the Oilers, while two (Adam Henrique and Vasily Podkolzin) have already been selected. . acquired via trade and eight (Viktor Arvidsson, Connor Brown, Zach Hyman, Mattias Janmark, Evander Kane, Corey Perry, Derek Ryan, Jeff Skinner) joined the Oilers as free agents.

Related: Hyman Listed as Best Free Agent Signing of the Last Decade

To the Oilers' credit, they've done an excellent job of adding top outside linebackers: Hyman, signed in 2021 for seven years at an average annual value of $5.5 million (AAV), looks like one of the best free agent acquisitions of all time. ; Kane and Perry were controversial restoration projects that were successful enough for Edmonton to re-sign both after their original Oilers contracts expired; Arvidsson and Skinner were signed this offseason for less than they would have gotten elsewhere.

This build-out formula has worked for the Oilers, who came within one win of lifting the Stanley Cup in June, but it's not sustainable in the long term. The Oilers of the 1980s were one of the greatest generations in sports history, but years of terrible planning left them with no one to step up in the early 1990s when the core of the team moved on. Building and moving forward will be important for Edmonton in the coming years.