It's
half way through the first round of the NHL play offs and Edmonton
Oilers fans are celebrating. Not because they've just won a decisive
victory on the ice, but a rather shocking one off the ice. For the
fourth time in five years, Edmonton is selecting the first overall
pick in the NHL draft. And this year, a huge prize is waiting for
them.
Connor
McDavid has been hailed as a generational talent even before this
season's remarkable effort of 44 goals and 76 assists in 47 games.
Hockey followers and experts have been touting the 18 year old as the
next Crosby, Lemiux, Gretzky and Lafleur rolled into one. He can
pass. He can shoot. He can't fight, as evidenced by this scuffle
where he broke his hand by punching it against the glass. But the idea that he
would even drops the gloves shows that he is a player with
extraordinary passion.
If
he's a man of such passion, why was this his face when he
learned of his draft fate?
Edmonton
last saw playoff hockey in the 2005-06 season when they lost in the
Stanley Cup Finals against Carolina. In the past 20 years, the Oilers
have only made the playoffs 7 times. And they've managed to keep this
dismal performance on the ice despite winning 3 draft lotteries in a
row. Their past 3 choices were all heavily regarded favourites to be
the first pick those years. Yet, when you compare them to their draft
compatriots, you begin to understand why McDavid is so sullen.
In
2010 the Oilers' management selected Taylor Hall above Tyler Seguin.
Hall is a gifted winger with quick hands who led the Ontario League's
Windsor Spitfires to two Memorial Cup championships. On Edmonton he
has amassed 263 points in 299 games, which is nothing to scoff at.
And while his NHL point per game average of 0.88 is higher than
Seguin's 0.80, Seguin has the upper hand in experience with 48 games
in the post season. Plus, Seguin has a shiny Stanley Cup Championship
ring for his efforts.
The
draft year following Hall's, the Oilers took Western Hockey League
star Ryan Nugent-Hopkins with their first pick. Behind the Oilers,
Colorado drafted Gabriel Landeskog. Like Hall, Nugent-Hopkins' points
per game average is higher than Landeskog's, but Landeskog has both
playoff and Olympics experience, both of which Nugent-Hopkins may not
get until his tenure with Edmonton is over.
Finally,
after much debate, Edmonton chose Nail Yakupov in the 2012 draft. To
the shock of many, the Canadiens used their third overall pick to
lock up Yakupov's linemate on the OHL's Sarnia Sting, Alex
Galchenyuk. Many thought that Galchenyuk's junior performance was a
by product of playing with Yakupov. As the players progress in the
NHL, it's beginning to be apparent that maybe Edmonton misunderstood
their chemistry on the ice. Unlike Seguin and Landeskog, “Chucky”'s
0.53 point per game average is higher than Yakupov's 0.45. What
clearly separates them is their assists numbers, as they are tied for
goals with 42 a piece. But how can that be when you consider Yakupov
is playing with two of the best prospects to come up in recent years?
Also, like Landeskog and Seguin, Galchenyuk has seen lots of playoff
hockey, including a trip to the Eastern Conference Championship last
year.
When
you take that all into account, it becomes easier to understand why
McDavid wasn't jumping for joy when he heard the news about his new
likely home. But then again, maybe McDavid is the missing piece
Edmonton fans and general manager Craig MacTavish have been hoping
for this past half century. Whatever the future holds for the club,
only one thing is for certain, McDavid isn't looking forward to it.
