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The Edmonton Oilers have become the proud new owners of two draft picks, a third round pick in 2015 and a fifth round pick in 2014, and all it cost them was Ales Hemsky. This is relatively old news now but if for some reason you missed it Ales Hemsky is now an Ottawa Senator. Yep the same team that he scored two goals against not even 24 hours prior was the team that showed the most interest in acquiring the right winger's skill set.
At first glance this may seem like the Oilers lost this trade but don't fool yourself because before you know it those two draft picks will grow into two highly sought after pylons and face punchers. And I'll guarantee you that neither of them will be the first guys off the ice after practice and the grit they will bring to the team will rival that of Luke Gazdic and Mike Brown. These picks will be the toast of the town because they won't care if they make the playoffs or not they will be happy to live in Edmonton and play in the NHL; all traits Hemsky just didn't possess.
As you probably can tell, I'm being sarcastic. The Oilers lost this trade and lost it bad but it was their own fault, not because they traded Hemsky for magic beans but because they devalued him so much over the past three years that the return was going to be negligible. A team that continually sits in the bottom 5 of the league year over year will always lose in a trade because other teams don't see value in a losing lineup (even though they may they won't let on that they do) and that is why the Oilers lost this trade. But as Oilers fans we are used to losing so I guess its not anything new.
Anyway enough with the tears onto the memories. Ales Hemsky was probably one of the most talented players that Oilers organization will ever see. Sure guys like Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Jordan Eberle or Nail Yakupov may score more in their careers than Hemsky ever will but none of them will ever be as fun to watch as Hemsky was. Enjoy the memories Oilers fans because that is all we have left at this point.
Farewell Ales we wish you well and maybe one day your cup will arrive.