2020 Copper & Blue Live Draft Thread

Welcome Welcome Welcome!

The 2020 NHL draft has finally arrived in what is sure to be a one of a kind event. The ongoing pandemic has put a wrench in a lot of things this year so this edition of the NHL draft will be a bit different. Instead of the high-drama of having every GM under the same roof, the draft will take place virtually this year.

The Oilers hold the 14th overall pick in the first round and are expected to hold onto it. As for later picks, the team traded their second rounder for Andreas Athansiou at the trade deadline so they will have to wait until the third round to make their second selection. Speaking of which, the Oilers are expected to hold onto their third round pick in this year’s draft and opting to forfeit 2021’s to Calgary to complete the James Neal trade.

Enough of this setup, lets get to the juicy stuff!

Prospect Profiles:

Dylan Holloway

OFFICIAL OILERS DRAFT PICKS/TRANSACTIONS:

• The Edmonton Oilers select Centerman Dylan Holloway from the University of Wisconsin with the 14th overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft
• Ken Holland has confirmed that the team does not plan on extending qualifying offers to both Matt Benning or Andreas Athanasiou

LIVE DRAFT TRACKER:

Updates will be made as soon as the picks are made official

1. New York Rangers: Alexis Lafrenière (LW)
2. Los Angeles Kings: Quinton Byfield (C)
3. Ottawa Senators: Tim Stützle (LW)
4. Detroit Red Wings: Lucas Raymond (LW)
5. Ottawa Senators: Jake Sanderson (LD)
6. Anaheim Ducks: Jamie Drysdale (RD)
7. New Jersey Devils: Alexander Holtz (RW)
8. Buffalo Sabres: Jack Quinn (RW)
9. Minnesota Wild: Marco Rossi (C)
10. Winnipeg Jets: Cole Perfetti (C)
11. Nashville Predators: Yaroslav Askarov (G)
12. Florida Panthers: Anton Lundell (C)
13. Carolina Hurricanes: Seth Jarvis (C)
14. Edmonton Oilers: Dylan Holloway (C)
15. Toronto Maple Leafs: Rodion Amirov (LW)
16. Montreal Canadiens: Kaiden Guhle (LD)
17. Chicago Blackhawks: Lukas Reichel (LW)
18. New Jersey Devils: Dawson Mercer (C)
19. New York Rangers: Braden Schnieder (RD)
20. New Jersey Devils: Shakir Mukhamadullin (LD)
21. Columbus Blue Jackets: Yegor Chinakhov (RW)
22. Washington Capitals: Hendrix Lapierre (C)
23. Philadelphia Flyers: Tyson Foerster (RW)
24. Calgary Flames: Connor Zary (C)
25. Colorado Avalanche: Justin Barron (RD)
26. St. Louis Blues: Jake Neighbours (LW)
27. Anaheim Ducks: Jacob Perreault (RW)
28. Ottawa Senators: Ridly Grieg (C)
29. Vegas Golden Knights: Brendan Brisson (C)
30. Dallas Stars: Mavrik Bourque (C)
31. San Jose Sharks: Ozzy Wiesblatt (RW)

RUMOURS & NEWS:

Up-to-date ticker of all the latest news from around the league (newer updates near the bottom)

Taylor Hall To Alberta?

Our first draft update is a free agency update! Everyone’s favourite hockey analyst thinks that Taylor Hall is bound for either Edmonton or Calgary. Get ready to be either extremely happy or extremely devastated Oil Country.

Oilers Leaning Forward At #14?

Ken Holland poured some cold water on the notion that Edmonton would be drafting a defender in the first round in yesterday’s pre-draft presser. The Oilers have selected Evan Bouchard and Philip Broberg in each of the last two. Expect the team to bolster their forward prospect pool tonight.

Abdelkader To Edmonton?

The Detroit Red Wings officially bought out LW Justin Abdelkader this morning. Could Ken Holland circle back to a player he is VERY familiar with to help bolster the team’s bottom six? Abdelkader is coming off a disappointing season that saw him score just three points in 49 gaRmes. Lets hope Holland passes on this one...

Vegas Desperate To Move Fleury:

Recent reports out of Sin City reveal that the Golden Knights are shopping Marc-Andre Fleury HARD. They are willing to retain half of his salary and to include a second round pick as a sweetener. The Oilers are in the market for a goaltender.....would you take Fleury at 3.5 million with a second round pick?

Toffoli Hitting The Market

It looks like, Vancouver sniper, Tyler Toffoli will be testing free agency. Sportsnet’s Elliott Freidman is reporting that the Canucks were unable to clear enough money to bring him back and are expecting the right-winger to hit the market. Toffoli put up 44 points in 68 games this season. Could he be an option for Edmonton moving forward?

Montreal & Columbus with a blockbuster!

The Montreal Canadiens have traded Max Domi and a 2020 third round pick to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for Josh Anderson! The first big trade of the day is a doozy with two quality forwards finding new homes!

Wacky Rumour Time:

Oilers news is pretty slow in the hours leading up to the draft so I got a wacky rumour for you all. Hockeybuzz’s Eklund, known for his insiderrrrrrr status, reported a few days ago that the Oilers were in talks with the Tampa Lightning to acquire Mikhail Sergachev. The Russian defender is an RFA and the club is in a bit of a cap crunch this offseason. Would you consider sending pick 14 and Evan Bouchard to Tampa for him?

It was labeled as an e4 by the way.

Capitals Lock Up Dillon

The Washington Capitals announced that they signed D Brendan Dillion to a 4-year contract with an AAV of $3.9 million. Thats a significant defender off the UFA market...

Prospective Season Start Date Announced

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman announced that the they are eying a January 1st, 2021 start date for next season! Big news to start off the draft!