POLL: What Should The Edmonton Oilers Do With The 8th Pick In The 2019 NHL Entry Draft?

Happy Victoria Day.

While the Cup Finals begin not for another week, the season doesn’t have much time remaining. After the season ends, the draft is right on your heels. Then comes free agency, training camp, some awkward camp invite you’ve never heard of, and then it’s time for the preseason. The roster is full of holes, who’s going to address this sort of thing? Bring Jason Garrison in. That’ll fix it.

Alright, I got a little head of myself. Let’s stick with the draft. The Oilers (and the rest of the NHL) are just over a month away from the NHL Draft. The Oilers have gotten pretty good at picking in the first round over the last decade or so. First overall selections like Connor McDavid, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Taylor Hall are stars in the league. Other first round selections are big time players today, selections like Leon Draisaitl and Darnell Nurse are big parts of the team today. Jordan Eberle carved himself into a big part of the club’s offence while he was in Edmonton, and Sam Gagner’s gotten another kick at the can after being drafted sixth overall in 2007.

What’s the point? Save for maybe Nail Yakupov at first overall in 2012, the Oilers have gotten big results with their first round picks in recent history. If the Oilers do nothing but select the best player available at 8th overall next month, they’ve got another great chance at picking an impact player. The Oilers need scoring, and it could come in one of Matthew Boldy, Cole Caufield, Kirby Dach, Trevor Zegras, Vasili Podkolzin or Peyton Krebs.

SHOULD I STAY OR SHOULD I GO

Is there any merit in moving the eighth pick? Like many things, there are two sides to that coin.

MOVE IT

• The Oilers are cap strapped. If the 8th overall pick is “the sweetener” to help unload a contract like MIlan Lucic’s, you might have to take that call.
• Maybe you don’t trade the 8th pick overall to get rid of a deal, but you move the 8th overall pick down to a team in the teens or twenties while picking up another high second round pick. All of the aforementioned players are likely a couple of years away from making an impact on the club, and it never hurts to have another option

KEEP IT

• You’re going to get a very good player at 8th overall.
• The club really needs more scorers. After 97-93-29, it gets a little dry up there.
• Club is cap strapped, and another talented ELC is what the club could use.

With just about a month to go, what should the Oilers do?