The 2023 NHL Draft is now less than two weeks away, June 28 and 29 at Bridgestone Arena, home of the Nashville Predators. It will be the 45th time the Edmonton Oilers participate in the NHL Draft, but only their second draft without having a pick in Round 1. Since joining the NHL in 1979, Edmonton has held at least one selection in the first round every year except 2006.
This is a near-unprecedented situation for the Oilers, who’ve had a few months to prepare after trading away their 2023 first-round choice at the end of February, as part of a deal with the Predators that saw Edmonton acquire Mattias Ekholm while Nashville received Tyson Barrie.
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So when it finally is their turn to pick, in the second round at No. 56, the Oilers really would like to hit a home run, so to speak. There have been a few occasions in which Edmonton’s selection in the second round went on to have a career worthy of a first-rounder. With that in mind, here’s a look at the top five second-round selections in franchise history.
Georges Laraque
Selected 31st overall in 1995
One of the most popular Oilers of the last generation, Georges Laraque wasn’t known for having soft hands, but rather fists of fury. In an era where there still existed such a role, he carved out a spot for himself as Edmonton’s enforcer.
Laraque spent eight of his 12 NHL seasons in Edmonton, appearing in 490 games with the Oilers. The left winger ranks eighth in franchise history with 826 penalty minutes. He also suited up for 36 playoff games wearing orange and blue and was part of Edmonton’s run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2006.
Jarret Stoll & Matt Greene
Selected 36th and 44th overall in 2003
Edmonton had one of the best performances in the second round of a draft in 2002, unearthing two gems within eight picks of each other. Jarret Stoll had actually been a second-round pick (46th overall) in 2000 by the Calgary Flames, but re-entered the draft two years later after he was unable to come to terms with the Flames.
Both Stoll, a center, and Matt Greene, a defenseman, played big roles in Edmonton’s Cinderella run to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final in 2006. At that point, Stoll had already been a fixture in the Oilers lineup for a couple of years and ranked third on the team with 68 points during the 2005-06 season. Greene, meanwhile, made the 2006 Postseason his coming-out party, going from a healthy scratch for much of the first round to an indispensable defensive force by playoffs’ end.
The careers of Greene and Stoll continued to intertwine: on June 29, 2008, they were traded together from Edmonton to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for blueliner Lubomir Vosnovsky. They ended up winning a pair of Stanley Cup titles, in 2012 and 2014, with L.A.
Greene played 615 regular season games in his NHL career, 151 of which came with the Oilers. Stoll played 872 total NHL regular season games, beginning with 286 as an Oiler.
Jeff Petry
Selected 45th in 2006
At age 35, Jeff Petry is still going strong: the defenseman totaled 31 points in 61 games during the 2022-23 campaign with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He’s now a veteran of 13 seasons in the NHL, the first five of which came in Edmonton.
As an Oiler, Petry had 74 points in 295 games, before being traded to the Montreal Canadiens on March 2, 2015. He reached his peak with the Habs, reeling off four consecutive seasons (2017-18 to 2020-21) with double-figures in goals and at least 40 points. In 864 regular season career games, he has 353 points.
Ryan McLeod
Selected 40th overall n 2018
While Ryan McLeod has only played two entire seasons in Edmonton, he’s already shown signs of having a very long and productive NHL career. After totaling nine goals and 12 assists in 71 games in 2021-22, the center had 11 goals and 12 assists in only 57 games last season.
McLeod’s future seems to be that of a checker/energy guy in the bottom six, which is something every NHL team needs. He’ll turn 24 in September, so he still has time on his side to develop into something better.
On the other hand, there’s not much time now for the Oilers to plot their draft strategy. The 56th overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft may arguably be the most important second-round selection in Oilers’ history, given their lack of a first-round choice. When they faced this situation in 2006, Edmonton made an excellent pick in Petry. Oil Country is eager to see what happens on June 29.