Edmonton Oilers: Demolition Continues With Four Members of Scouting Staff
With only a handful of days remaining before the NHL Entry Draft, the Edmonton Oilers continued to change things around by firing four key members of their scouting team. The big names who are leaving the organization are Morey Gare, the Oilers’ head pro scout, and Stu MacGregor. the head amateur scout. Along with the two heads of scouting, the Oilers also got rid of two scouts in Canada, Brad Davis and Kent Hawley.
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Even though the decision makes sense, the obvious question is the time frame. The Oilers have 10 picks in this year’s draft with four happening in the first two rounds. They have selected at the top of the order for consecutive years and have almost prided themselves on relying heavily on the entry draft. Needless to say, their scouting department is extremely important over the coming week.
It does not take a professional scout to know the Oilers will select Connor McDavid with the first overall pick. They will likely take their chances on the closest thing to Sidney Crosby over the last decade. As for the rest of the picks, the Oilers’ recent decision to fire numerous parts of their scouting staff could open the door to trades.
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Outside the first overall pick, the Oilers draft 16th, 33rd and 57th overall within the first two rounds. Judging by the talent in this year’s draft, those picks could be very valuable to the right team. The Oilers have a plethora of young talent and could use the assets that come with trading draft picks. Not to mention, their top-six unit is already looking a bit congested, and they could use a huge boost on defense and their bottom-six. The right package of picks and prospects could get them exactly what they need, NHL-ready players.
When you consider the amount of young players on the Oilers’ roster, it is hard to see them succeed in the near future. They have drafted pretty well but have not boosted the most important areas of their team and have faced the music for several years in a row. Nail Yakupov should be the first to go while Justin Schultz could have a second-coming with a more established defensive corps.
Despite some uproar, the big names like Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle are not going anywhere. They have found a nice footing under new Head Coach McLellan and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins should be safe as well. They have carried the Oilers’ offense with little to no help, and some much-needed improvements in all the other areas could finally give them some room to flourish.
Based on their recent decisions and already youthful roster, there is a very good chance the Oilers trade the rest of their 2015 draft picks. However, the most important goal should be to get the right players in return. Adding more players to the top-six or trading for another goalie is just not the answer.
The Oilers need a complete face-lift on defense and could use some NHL-experienced players in their bottom-six. The 2015 NHL Entry Draft could be the perfect place to chase those assets.
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