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In the spirit of “What-if Week” the powers that be at SB Nation decided to embark on a re-draft of one of the best drafts in recent memory: the 2015 NHL Draft held in Sunrise, Florida.
It was a draft that holds immense importance for the Edmonton Oilers organization. They held the first overall pick after winning the draft lottery, defying all odds and setting the city of Buffalo on fire in the process.
The Oilers had the privilege of selecting OHL phenom Connor McDavid first overall and it is no surprise that the re-draft yielded the same result for the Edmonton Oilers.
The impact that McDavid has had on the franchise is nothing short of significant. The lottery win prompted the Oilers to move, longtime executive, Kevin Lowe out of hockey ops and lured in respected hockey men of the time like Bob Nicholson and Peter Chiarelli to join the organization.
It also gave the Oilers the superstar they needed after missing the playoffs for the 9th consecutive season. At the end of the 2014/15 season fan morale was at an all-time low. It didn’t seem like the organization had any direction and the light at the end of tunnel seemed to be dimming more and more every day.
The arrival of Connor McDavid prompted the type of mass change that was needed and made Edmonton a talking point across the league. While the team has struggled to make the playoffs since, they have had much more success and was able to break their playoff drought in an exciting run in the 2017 playoffs.
His short time in the league has also resulted in astounding individual success. McDavid lead the league in points during the 2016/17 season (100pts) and the 2017/18 season (108pts). He captured his first Hart trophy in his second NHL season and has two Ted Lindsay Awards. He is the best player to don an Oilers jersey since Mark Messier left the team in 1991 and we are all lucky to witness a player of McDavid’s calibre play in the great city of Edmonton.