Edmonton Oilers interim general manager Jeff Jackson continued his busy offseason on Monday (July 15), trading forwards Xavier Bourgault and Jake Chiasson to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for forward Roby Jarventie and Ottawa’s 2025 fourth-round pick.
The big story was that Edmonton had moved on from Bourgault, who the Oilers selected in the first round with the 22nd overall pick just three years ago. Bourgault never played a regular season or playoff game for the Oilers.
Related: Roby Jarventie: Everything to Know About the Oilers’ New Acquisition
Meanwhile, in Oil Country, fans were interested in learning more about Jarventie. The 33rd overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, Jarventie suited up seven times for the Senators in 2023-24.
But what wasn’t really talked about was the draft asset that Edmonton acquired in the trade. It was the first time in nearly three years that Edmonton made a deal that resulted in the Oilers holding more draft picks than they did before the trade.
Holland Traded Future for Present
With Edmonton in “win now” mode for the last few years, the Oilers have traded away an alarming number of future draft selections to acquire active players that could immediately help the team.
During Ken Holland’s five-year tenure as general manager, which officially ended on July 1, the Oilers traded away 25 future picks while acquiring just 10. The Holland era saw Edmonton part with 20 picks in Rounds 1-4 while receiving only five in Rounds 1-4.
This trend really started around the trade deadline in 2020, when the Oilers made a series of deals that saw them part with a 2020 second-round pick, a conditional fourth-round pick in 2020, a 2021 second-round pick, and a 2021 fifth-round pick. The only pick they received in return from all these trades was a 2022 seventh-round pick from the Anaheim Ducks.
At the latest trade deadline this March, the Oilers made three deals with draft picks involved: they acquired Adam Henrique from the Tampa Bay Lightning for a conditional 2026 fourth-round pick; acquired Sam Carrick, Ty Taylor and a 2024 seventh-round pick from the Ducks for a 2024 first-round pick and conditional 2025 fifth-round pick; and acquired Troy Stecher and a 2024 seventh-round pick from the Arizona Coyotes for a 2027 fourth-round pick.
Oilers Not Primarily Built Through Trades
Despite all of Holland’s wheeling and dealing, trades didn’t play that big of a role in building the roster that got within one win of the Stanley Cup last month: Only three of the skaters who suited up for more than 10 games in Edmonton’s incredible 2024 postseason run – Mattias Ekholm, Brett Kulak, and Henrique – were acquired in trades that saw the Oilers part with draft capital.
Meanwhile, all these trades have left Edmonton without much to do on draft day of late. The Oilers made a total of just seven picks in 2022 and 2023 combined, and while they had seven picks this year, only two were within the first 159 selections.
Oilers Have Limited Stock of Picks
Edmonton’s cupboard isn’t exactly stocked now, either: after the trade with Ottawa, the Oilers hold five picks in 2025, but none in the opening two rounds. They are also without their fourth-round selections in 2026 and 2027.
Obviously, the Oilers haven’t concerned themselves as much with life after their current championship window. Teams can go decades without being in the position to win a Stanley Cup, so when you get close, you go all in.
But having draft capital is still key to present-day success. Consider that around the trade deadline each of the past five seasons, the Oilers have dealt away at least one pick (and have traded away at least two picks around four of the last five trade deadlines) to acquire active roster players. Edmonton will need to have a stock of picks to deal from at the 2025 Trade Deadline when they inevitably look to add pieces for another run at the championship.
Furthermore, you can’t completely mortgage the future. Sure, almost every Oilers fan will tell you they’re willing to accept hard times down the road in exchange for a championship, but that’s easy to say now. Ask how fans have felt over the last decade in Illinois, where the Chicago Blackhawks won three championships in six years between 2010 and 2015, but haven’t advanced past the first round of the playoffs since, and have missed the postseason each of the last four years.
Monday’s move shows that Jackson is at least aware of how empty the draft cupboard is. Time will tell if he does much more replenishing.