Edmonton Spoilers

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.